THE assistant director of immigration yesterday admitted to releasing a Jamaican woman into the custody of the senior immigration officer who allegedly raped her, as he said he had no reason to suspect anything untoward would happen.

Dwight Livingston Beneby said he "trusted" Norman Bastian would not deviate from immigration protocol when he authorized Claudia Edwards Bethel's release from the detention centre into his subordinate's exclusive custody for further investigation.

Mr Beneby said he saw nothing wrong with such a transaction, as given Mr Bastian's rank and seniority, he would have been fully cognizant of the Department of Immigration's (DOI) policy when it comes to officers handling female detainees.

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