A man purporting to be a high ranking policeman and who is accused of soliciting sex from females, was brought before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court last Friday.

Charged with forgery, resisting arrest and soliciting prostitution is Richard Lewis.

Lewis was allegedly found in possession of a forged police identification card along with several résumés submitted by females.

The court was informed that Lewis, who has numerous aliases, including ,Anthony, Tony, Rickey, and Donovan Smith, pretended to be a businessman seeking to employ females and then offering them large sums of cash for sexual favours.

According to police reports presented in court, Lewis allegedly told several female complainants that he could secure jobs for them. They were then asked to show up for interviews at different locations but were asked for sexual favours and offered money in order to secure job positions.

promised a job

Lewis was taken into police custody on August 12, after a female complainant whom he had promised a job, contacted a detective and informed him of a scheduled meeting she had with Lewis.

The complainant then went to the meeting place under police surveillance.

On that day, Lewis is said to have displayed a large amount of cash to the complainant before returning the money to his pocket. The complainant then signalled the police officers who approached them and asked Lewis to accompany them to the Cross Roads Police Station.

Lewis is said to have told the police he did nothing wrong and wanted to be released. He reportedly became boisterous while he pleaded his innocence and then tried to break free from the police.

After arriving at the police station, Lewis was searched and found in possession of the forged police identification card and several female résumés. He also had a TRN Card, a national identification card and a condom.

The police later contacted the females listed on the résumés via telephone and were informed of various scenarios of how and where they met and the different aliases used by Lewis.

Lewis expressed his innocence in court and pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He also informed the court that the police were lying on him and he wanted to go home to be with his wife and children.

Security guard electrocuted

Security guard Peter Whyte, 28, of Falmouth, Trelawny, was electrocuted at Summer Hill in the parish yesterday. Police said about 3:45 p.m., Whyte was on duty at a construction company when a passer-by heard him screaming. He was later found hanging from the branch of an ackee tree which got entangled with Jamaica Public Service wires.