There was an emotional moment in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Friday when Yanique Campbell sought to explain her case to Chief Parish Judge Judith Pusey.

Campbell, the woman who was on July 24 seen in a video which appeared on social media showing St Andrew policemen attempting to arrest her using unconventional methods, was brought before the court to answer to six charges.

The charges are use of indecent language, two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm, use of abusive language, resisting arrest and unlawful wounding.

Before she even made a plea to any of the charges, Campbell gave an emotive account of what happened on the day in question.

“Your Honour, I was travelling to Gordon Town in an illegal taxi from Papine and when I was approaching my stop, I saw three police officers in front the lane. So because of that, the driver pass the lane and left me a little above it. When I was walking to the lane one of the officers told me not to walk on that side of the road and I respectfully followed orders, Your Honour.

“Then I pass another officer to enter the short cut to my lane. As I was about to enter, the officer called me back and while we were approaching each other I guess to him I was taking too long to reach an him class me a way, Your Honour. So me say ‘like your…’ and turn ‘roun. You see when me turn ‘roun him grab me by mi hair an a so it start,” she told Judge Pusey.

After Campbell’s tearful recollection, Pusey enquired as to why she has not prosecuted the policeman, to which she said she has no money to pursue it.

The video, which was roughly four and a half minutes long, started with shouts of “police brutality” by an onlooker as the woman is pushed onto the side of a police van marked “Area 4”.

Throughout the video, inaudible exchanges occur between the three (two policemen and the accused). The policemen later take out their handcuffs, after which the woman sits on the ground and fights off attempts to restrain her.

At one point, the policeman holds the woman by her hair. The woman is soon after on her back on the roadside as one policeman kneels on her abdomen. After she is handcuffed, the policemen force her into the van amid shouts of disagreement from onlookers.

The individual who posted the video on

Facebook claimed to have been on the scene and said the policemen sought to arrest the woman after she allegedly told them a profane comment in response to a similar comment directed at her by the officer.

“I was brutally abused, Your Honour,” Campbell said as she broke down in the courtroom.

“I think you were badly treated, instruct your lawyer to have him prosecuted,”

“It is hard to be treated that way and then charges are laid against you, having been treated that way. So let your lawyer lay a case against him and have him prosecuted. Nobody is above the law,” Pusey boldly stated.

The matter was set for mention on October 24 as the court awaits a medical report to prove Campbell’s claim.