Controversial NICIL probe

− former Miss India Worldwide speaks out on horrifying high-speed chase

BY EDWARD LAYNE

The young female  and her male companion who were being chased by GDF sergeant Robert Pyle of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) on December 30 have broken their silence and tell of the horrifying high-speed chase that ended on Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown, after Pyle’s pursuing vehicle crashed, killing three persons, including two civilians.

The two victims being chased were Alana Seebaran, wife of Attorney and Opposition parliamentarian Charles Ramson Jr and her brother Raymond Seebaran.

The Guyana Times was able to obtain a copy of the statement given to investigators by Alana Seebaran following the incident.

Seebaran said that on the evening of December 30, she and her brother Raymond visited her Lot 116-117 Cowan Street, Kingston home to pick up supplies for her young baby, when the ordeal began unfolding.
She said upon arrival at her home about 20:30h there was no vehicle or persons in the vicinity, but upon exit she observed two men in the middle of the road, dressed in plain clothes and looking in the direction of her home.

The woman said she became nervous and she along with her brother proceeded quickly to lock the gate and headed to their vehicle, when one of the men on his cellular phone was saying “they coming out now… they coming out now”.

She said as they approached their vehicle, one of the men who remains unknown to them said, “can I have a minute of your time?”

The mother of a young daughter said she became very concerned and nervous and urged her brother to enter the vehicle to which he complied.

She explained that the man walked towards the passenger side where she was seated and signalled her to lower the window.

She said her brother lowered the window about two inches.
“The man did not show us any form of identification but mumbled he was from the Special Crime Organisation and that ‘we need you to wait… our boss is on his way.’ I became very scared as the man had no uniform, never stated his name nor did he show us any identification, so I told my brother to drive away,” Seebaran told investigators in her statement.

She added however, her brother faced some difficulties in driving off as a white car came close behind theirs in an attempt to cut them off, but they eventually managed to elude the men and drove west on Cowan Street, by which time a silver car came into their path forcing them to stop.

“A man came out of the silver car and started to shout at us and bang on our vehicle’s bonnet with his hands. I started to scream for my brother to drive away and he found a small pathway between the trench on the southern side of the street and the parked silver car and drove away heading west on Cowan Street,” the woman recalled.

She said fearful for their lives her brother began speeding as the two vehicles continued to follow them.
She recalled that as they proceeded east along Carifesta Avenue the two cars were still trailing their vehicle and she contacted her father via telephone who advised that they drive to Kitty Police Station.

She recalled that the white car at one point pulled alongside theirs in an attempt to cut them off, but was forced to abandon the manoeuver since there was another vehicle just in front of them.

“After we passed the car which was immediately in front of us, the white car moved towards the southern side of the carriageway and drove alongside us when I felt an impact on our vehicle in the vicinity of the right front wheel area and observed that the white vehicle then careened on the southern side of the carriageway when I heard what sounded like a loud collision. I was still scared and told brother not to stop and that we must go right away to the Kitty Police Station as my father suggested.”

The woman said they drove to the Kitty Police Station but after telling ranks there of their ordeal they were advised to drive to Alberttown, since the incident occurred in that police district.

Seebaran said while there a report was made and they were told by the ranks that “we were free to go home.”
Out of fear they asked that the sergeant escort them home, which he did.

The white car was drive by Guyana Defence Force Intelligence Officer, Robert Pyle.

That car collided with a Canter truck, claiming the life of Sergeant Pyle, his wife Stacy and driver of the Canter Linden Eastman of Prashad Nagar.

When contacted Friday, head of SUCO Sydney James declared, “I have no comment on this matter…” and hung up his phone.

Since the incident, the GDF has issued a statement claiming that Pyle was on a “legitimate” SOCU assignment.

He was part of a group of law enforcement officers staking out the home of head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington.

The other male driving the “silver car” – presumably another SOCU officer working with Pyle, has not been identified as yet.

It is important to note that there are no relations between the Seebarans and Brassington.