Police officers Jason Shaw and Leslie Martinez found guilty of wilful oppression in viral sex-video case

By Breaking Belize News Staff: A High Court jury has found Police Corporal Jason Shaw and Police Constable Leslie Martinez guilty of wilful oppression in connection with the recording and circulation of a video showing a couple engaged in a sexual act inside an abandoned Belize City building during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nine-member jury, comprising five women and four men, returned guilty verdicts against both officers on Friday, July 17, 2026, following deliberations in the court of Justice Derick Sylvester.

The charge arose from an incident on April 5, 2020, when Shaw, Martinez and then-rookie Police Constable Anthony Villamil were conducting mobile patrols in the Central American Boulevard area. The prosecution alleged that the officers encountered a man and woman inside an abandoned building, abused their authority and recorded the couple engaged in sex before the footage was shared in a police WhatsApp group known as “Loyal Group” and subsequently went viral.

Shaw, Martinez and Villamil were originally arrested and charged with wilful oppression in April 2020. The officers were also placed on interdiction and summoned before an internal police tribunal following widespread public condemnation of the incident.

Villamil was later granted immunity and became a Crown witness against his former co-accused. He testified that Martinez was holding a cellphone inside the building and later said that he would post the recording in the group chat. However, defence attorneys challenged Villamil’s credibility, highlighting several differences between the accounts he gave investigators and the testimony he provided during the various trials.

Justice Sylvester gave the jury an accomplice warning, advising the jurors to exercise caution when considering Villamil’s evidence because he had previously been charged in the same case and received immunity before becoming a prosecution witness.

The female victim also testified that she recognized herself in the video and had not consented to being recorded. The Crown argued that the officers exploited the couple’s vulnerability and used the authority associated with their uniforms to humiliate and degrade them instead of carrying out their lawful duties.

Both officers denied any wrongdoing in brief statements from the dock. Shaw, who has served in the Police Department for 24 years, and Martinez, who has served for 11 years, told the court that they had never forced anyone to have sex or recorded the couple.

The case had previously experienced several setbacks. An earlier trial was aborted in June 2025 after three jurors were excused, while a subsequent trial ended without a verdict after the jury was unable to reach the required majority.

Shaw was represented by attorney Oscar Selgado, while Martinez was represented by attorney Leeroy Banner. Crown Counsel Maria Nembhard-Santana prosecuted the case.

The officers now await sentencing.

The post Police officers Jason Shaw and Leslie Martinez found guilty of wilful oppression in viral sex-video case appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.