A FATHER of five, who was arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting his wife, was discovered dead in the lock-ups at the Lethem Police Station, on Monday morning.
Police Headquarters has identified the deceased as 37-year -old Carl Benedick, a driver of St Ignatius Village, Lethem, Region Nine.

According to the police, the Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is currently probing the matter.
A statement from the Police said the man and his wife have been together for 18 years and have five children. However, it was pointed out that, during their relationship, the woman was constantly abused.

These incidents were reported to the police at Lethem Police Station, and Benedict was charged. In relation to one of the assaults, he was fined $10,000 on May 16, 2023 by a magistrate.

“On Sunday, May 5, 2024, the police received a call from a concerned resident reporting that Carl 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,” the statement said.
Police said the woman was issued with a medical certificate and escorted to the hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.

When police ranks entered the lock-ups at around 07:45 hours on Monday, Benedick was discovered hanging by his neck with the waistband of his shorts, which, police suspect, he removed and tied to the metal vent on the lockups’ southern wall.

The scene was processed and photographed by crime scene technicians. Benedick was subsequently taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The Police said there were no marks of violence on his body. A post-mortem examination will be conducted on his remains this week.