Lethem man, in lock-ups for abusing wife, found dead

The Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is investigating reports of a suicide that occurred on Monday between 05:00 hrs and 07:45 hrs at the Lethem Police Station.

Dead is Paul Benedick, 37, a driver of St Ignatius Village, Lethem, Region Nine.

According to a report from Police Headquarters, Benedick and his wife were together for 18 years and have five (5) children; however, during their relationship, she was subjected to constant physical abuse.

These incidents were reported to the police at the Lethem Police Station, and Benedick was charged and taken to Court.

On May 16, 2023, he was found guilty of one of the charges and was fined $10,000.

One year later, on Sunday, May 5, 2024, the police received a call from a concerned resident reporting that Benedick was assaulting his wife.

Ranks responded to the report, and Carl was arrested and escorted to the Lethem Police Station.

“At the station, his clothes were removed, and he was placed in a cell by himself with only shorts on, while his wife’s statement was being taken. She was also issued with a medical certificate and escorted to seek medical attention for her injuries,” the police said.

At about 07:45 hrs on Monday, the ranks entered the lockups and discovered Paul motionless.

The scene was processed and photographed by crime scene technicians, and Benedick’s body was transported to the Lethem Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The body showed no marks of violence and is currently lying at the hospital awaiting post-mortem examination