A frail, bruised and wheelchair-bound Dr Jephthah Ford, who was Sunday badly beaten by police, yesterday gave thanks for his life on his release from the Kingston Public Hospital. “I would like to thank God for sparing my life. I would like to thank my family,” Ford, a medical doctor, told reporters on the grounds of the hospital in downtown Kingston.

The prominent doctor and former parliamentary candidate came out on the wrong end of an altercation with four policemen who were allegedly moonlighting as security guards at a dance held at Fun Citi beach in Port Henderson, St Catherine which Ford operates under a lease agreement.

Ford’s head was heavily-bandaged, his left eye was covered with cotton, both hands were bandaged and he wore a neck brace. There were also small bandages on his upper lip.

Majorie Shaw-Currie, one of Ford’s attorneys, said the beaten medical doctor had suffered a broken rib, damage to both shoulders, the right side of his chest, eye damage and cuts on the left side of his head and forehead.

Shaw-Currie, in a statement, said Ford had also lost the use of his left hand, at least temporarily.

Ford was mauled by the cops after he intervened in a dispute between his elder sister, Andrea Ford, who was also allegedly beaten by the same group of policemen.

He has since been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and assault at common law and is scheduled to appear in court later this month.

Yesterday, attorney Patrick Bailey, who spoke on behalf of Ford’s legal team, said his client would be filing civil charges for police brutality, and said eyewitness accounts of the incident suggested Ford’s human rights were violated.

“We have to be careful with the information that we have as they will be part of both the civil and criminal proceedings, and we also want the police investigation to go smooth,” Bailey told the Observer.

The cops involved in the incident are now being investigated by the Professional Standards Branch after Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas assigned Assistant Commissioner Denver Frater to lead the investigation into the incident.