Justice Alexander Henderson, in the Grand Court on Friday (19), gave Rabe Welcome a prison sentence of six months for wounding.

Welome, a 38year old former Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) officer, was found guilty by a jury last June when he used “excessive force” during the early hours of the morning at a Red Bay gas station while off duty in June 2009 during an altercation.

Welcome broke the arm of Adolphus Myrie during the incident and the judge said he had “crossed the line”.

Although Welcome had no previous convictions or disciplinary violations, had good character references and that he had a low risk of re-offending, given the circumstances, Judge Henderson said the custodial sentence was necessary to deter police officers from using excessive force and to send a message that such abuse of power would not be tolerated.

Welcome’s attorney, Ben Tonner, had implored the judge not to impose a custodial sentence as a prison sentence for a former police officer would be even harder as he could be serving alongside people he had arrested. He had suggested a community based sentence and a compensation order.

The altercation started when Welcome insulted Myrie’s girlfriend and, the court found, Myrie over-reacted and not only threatened Welcome but two other off duty police officers who were with him with a machete.

The incident was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV).

Giving his reasons for the custodial sentence, the judge said although Welcome had a right to make an arrest, as Myrie had committed at least two offences, however once the victim had been persuaded to put down the machete there was no longer a need for Welcome to defend himself. When the assault took place Myrie did not pose a threat to the off-duty officer, who was also physically much bigger than him.

He also said, “Welcome was a serving police officer at the time who had sworn to uphold the law and was therefore on duty 24 hours a day. While he did not pose a threat to the community, using such excessive force when making the arrest was a misuse of the power of his office and there was a general need to deter such use of force by others in future.”

Welcome was arrested after the incident and suspended from duty until his trial in June. After his conviction he was dismissed from the RCIPS.