Court Orders 2 Police Officers to Pay Rs 500,000 for Brutal 2003 Custody Assault

Two officers have been ordered by a court to pay Rs 500,000 in damages to a man they brutally assaulted while he was held in custody more than two decades ago.

On 28 May 2026, the Intermediate Civil Court ruled that officers Seewoo Mangalsing Ramburn and Gopalen Samy Perianen must jointly compensate Gerard Thierry Maurel.

Magistrate Dushuina Moorghen concluded that the officers had personally participated in the abuse, legally classifying their actions as a “personal fault”.

The landmark ruling comes an astonishing 22 years after the incident took place at the Sodnac police station in December 2003.

Hours of Abuse in Custody

The assault occurred following Mr Maurel’s arrest during a theft investigation. Mr Maurel, who was employed as a Store Assistant at the time, testified that he was subjected to several hours of beatings, humiliation, and ill-treatment during his interrogation.

The ordeal caused him to lose consciousness, leading to his emergency admission to Victoria Hospital.

The court heard that the victim has been left with permanent disabilities and long-lasting psychological scars.

While Mr Maurel had initially claimed Rs 835,000 in damages, the Magistrate settled on the sum of Rs 500,000 to reflect the enduring nature of his trauma and permanent incapacity.

Unshakeable Evidence

In delivering her judgment, Magistrate Moorghen rejected the versions put forward by the two police officers, who had denied any involvement.

Instead, she described Mr Maurel’s testimony as “detailed and credible,” noting how perfectly it aligned with the extensive medical and psychiatric evidence.

The prosecution’s case relied heavily on a consistent body of evidence, which included:

• Medical records: Detailing various physical injuries to Mr Maurel’s head and chest, corroborated by the testimony of an examining doctor.
• A psychiatric report: Confirming that the victim developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a direct result of the ordeal.
• Human Rights findings: Conclusions from the National Human Rights Commission, which had independently confirmed the occurrence of police brutality.

The long-running case had also previously been referred to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Source: Defi Media