An MP’s daughter found guilty of violently resisting arrest told a court yesterday that the police’s treatment of her was “dehumanising and painful”.

Law student M’aeisha Weeks, daughter of Opposition politician Michael Weeks, made the claim to Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner shortly before he gave her a conditional discharge for the offence, meaning she will not have a conviction recorded against her name if she commits no other crimes.

Ms Weeks, reading from a prepared statement, apologised for the “unfortunate” events of August 9, when she and best friend Asha Joell got into a fight with an unknown woman outside the Bistro at the Beach nightspot on Front Street. She said: “I felt I had to defend myself.”

Ms Weeks, who is studying at Middlesex University in the UK and interning at Charter Chambers law firm, alleged that the officers who attended the scene pepper sprayed her without warning and then dragged her to a van, treating her in a way which was “dehumanising and painful”.

She said her “character and reputation” had since been tarnished.

Mr Warner, sentencing her and Ms Joell to a three-month conditional discharge after finding them both guilty of violently resisting arrest, said: “I find nothing about the police behaviour being excessive.”

He said the officers legitimately arrested the two women, who are both 21.

But he agreed with defence lawyer Simone Smith-Bean, counsel at Charter, that the pair had “paid enough” for their “minor” crimes by appearing in court and having the case widely reported.

He rejected an argument from prosecutor Loxly Ricketts that the defendants should receive convictions and fines.

The two women were found not guilty of affray and, in Ms Joell’s case, not guilty of assaulting police officer Terry Thompson.

Pc Thompson, giving evidence at the Magistrates’ Court trial, said Ms Joell told him: “You can’t take a hit from a girl. I’ll remember that, you p****.”

The Magistrate said he believed that she made the remark but was not satisfied that she intended to assault the officer so had to clear her of the charge.

In clearing both defendants of affray, Mr Warner accepted that Ms Weeks, of St John’s Road, Pembroke, acted in self defence after she was punched by an unknown woman on the patio of the club.

He accepted that Ms Joell, of Winton, North Carolina, got involved because she was acting to defend Weeks.

He rejected their evidence that police did not identify themselves after arriving to break up the fight.

And he did not accept that they were not warned by the officers before being pepper-sprayed or that they were manhandled.

Ms Weeks told the court she hoped to become a criminal litigation lawyer, while Ms Joell said she was studying biology at Winston-Salem State University, NC, with a view to going into dentistry.

Ms Smith-Bean, mitigating for both defendants, said her clients were remorseful and had been “wholly embarrassed” to be in court.

Mr Warner said neither would get a criminal record as long as they commit no other offences in the next three months.

Terrylynn Doyle, mother of Ms Weeks, told The Royal Gazette after the hearing: “The family is happy that this is over and we would like to put this behind us so both girls can maximise their potential.

“While we are not happy at the alleged treatment of the girls by the police, we feel judge Warner was fair in executing the law, acquitting on two charges and giving a conditional discharge to both.

“We feel that this case received extra spotlight coverage, in particular for M’aeisha, because she is a politician’s daughter and there seemed to be more focus on that.

“We hope that this does not in any way damage either girls’ reputations and characters, because they have very promising futures ahead of them, with M’aeisha especially pursuing a law degree. Both have distinguished themselves before this unfortunate incident.”

Ms Doyle added: “MP Weeks will decide on how he wants to handle the complaint, as it pertains to the alleged treatment [by police] of both girls.

“On behalf of myself and MP Weeks, I would like to extend a personal thanks to Charter Chambers [and] all the family, friends and members of the community who supported us during this difficult time.”

Bermuda Police Service declined to comment.

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