Dancehall artiste Tommy Lee Sparta has been released from police custody after being detained for over a month under a state of public emergency (SOE) in St James.

Tommy Lee

Sparta, born Leroy Russell, was released from the Freeport Police Station in

the parish yesterday, August 17.

The artiste’s lawyer told the Jamaica Observer that he had been detained unlawfully and that action will be brought against the State.

Smith said, “He’s been the

victim of unlawful restraint of trade. That is the category under which the

action will arise. In other words, he was not allowed to ply his trade without

justification.”

He continued, “I’m going to

bring action against the State for his loss of income for the period of false

imprisonment, and we’re also looking at a calculation for the number of times

that he was prevented from performing in Montego Bay and other areas in the

west, and that calculation looks like it’s running into about a hundred million

dollars.”

Tommy Lee was detained on July 7 and appeared in court three times since but never charged under the SOE which allows persons to be held for 90 days without charge.