December 17 ,2020
Colwyn Henry at the Sparendaam police station
(Photo courtesy of Nigel Hughes)
The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) yesterday strongly condemned what it said was the “unprovoked brutality” suffered by the family of slain cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry at the hands of elements of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) at the Sparendaam Police Station on Tuesday night.
The GHRA said it rejects the “self-serving version” of the events released by the GPF. The police said that the ruckus began after Joel’s brother Colwyn could not produce his licence and defied instructions from the police all the while hurling profanities.
At the invitation of the GHRA, the Henry family – of West Coast Berbice – was returning home from an event at the Roman Catholic Cathedral on the killing of Isaiah and Joel. The GHRA release noted that Argentine expert, Dr. Luis Fondebrider, invited to Guyana to determine whether his organization could aid GPF efforts to resolve the WCB murders, gave an illustrated lecture of the work around the world of his organization, the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropologists (EAAF). The GHRA said that the Henry family, Colwyn, the brother of the murdered Joel, his mother Gail Johnson and Gladstone Henry, father of Isiah, travelled together in a car driven by Colywn. The family of Haresh Singh, the third murdered youth, who also attended the forum left in a mini-bus about the same time.
At approximately 8.30 p.m. on Tuesday night, the GHRA said it received a call from a distraught Johnson requesting it to travel immediately to the Sparendaam Police Station where her son, Colwyn, was being detained. The GHRA said it arrived at the station some twenty minutes later.
“At this point the GHRA witnessed a chaotic scene with Colwyn chained to the floor, the family lawyer, Nigel Hughes, protesting the treatment of his client, many police officers milling around to no evident purpose, Colwyn’s mother phasing in and out of consciousness as a result of elevated blood pressure resulting from being manhandled by the police, and Gladstone Henry also attempting to inject sanity into the police behaviour”, the human rights body said.
It added that a police woman Sergeant eventually arrived, having come from another area, and imposed some order and procedure into subsequent events.
The GHRA said it learnt then that around 7.30 p.m. the car with the Henry family was stopped at a road block outside the Sparendaam Police station where some cars were required to produce documents. The GHRA said that Colwyn had the requisite documents except the paper version of his driving licence.
“He showed the police officer the electronic copy of his licence on his cell phone. The GHRA can vouch this is a clear and precise photo with all relevant details immediately visible. The police officer refused to accept this version and ordered Colwyn, despite family protests, to drive his car closer to the police station.
“Subsequent attempts by Colwyn Henry to have the rank talk to the Commander of Region Five, who he called on his cell to vouch for the validity of his licence, were refused by the rank who stated he wasn’t talking to anyone. Gail Johnson, his mother, verbally protested this behaviour. The rank then declared his intention to arrest Colwyn Henry and moved to physically detain him. Colwyn brushed him off.
“This provoked the physical intervention of a number of policemen – some in uniform, others in plainclothes. The GHRA has seen the bloodied face mask of Colwyn Henry. Ms. Johnson’s attempts to intervene led to a vicious physical attack by one particular plainclothes police officer which provoked retaliation from Colwyn Henry to protect his mother. Video evidence of this attack is available on social media”, the human rights body said.
About an hour later, after insistence from both the GHRA and the family’s lawyer, an ambulance was called by the police to transfer Johnson to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). About two hours later after a statement had been taken from Colwyn Henry in the presence of attorney Nigel Hughes, he was transferred to GPHC at the insistence of Hughes who accompanied him for a medical examination, the GHRA said.
The GHRA noted that Colwyn Henry was charged with five offences relating to driving without a licence, resisting arrest and assaulting the police and subsequently released on $15,000 bail. His mother, Johnson, faces two charges related to assault. The GHRA said that the family eventually reached home at 2.00 a.m. yesterday and were ordered to appear back at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning at 9.00 am. The cases were then postponed and they were ordered to return to court today. GHRA said that neither Colwyn Henry nor Johnson has any prior charges or convictions.
“The behaviour of some of these GPF policemen in this incident starkly revealed the lack of capacity of the GPF to perform even the most rudimentary civil routines, such as checking licenses, without provoking the bacchanal described above. Nothing of the physical architecture of police stations nor the demeanour of police officials suggests the GPF has transitioned from its colonial origins as a Police Militia. Reinforced concrete and barbed wire project the image of a group under siege from – rather than integrated into – the community. Furniture is rudimentary, nothing personalized, nor individualized”, the GHRA said.
It added that the one visible saving grace in the office of the Traffic Room was the well-constructed wall charts of 2019 and 2020 road accidents, giving the numbers of fatalities, etc.
Police statement
On Tuesday night the police released their version of the events.
They said that Colwyn Henry’s car was stopped at a road block and he was asked to produce his driver’s licence and identifying documents but was unable to do so.
“Mr. Henry was instructed to park his car in front of the Sparendaam Police Station, in accordance with established police procedures which require the driver to be prohibited from further driving the vehicle, at which time he became exceedingly abusive to the police officer including the use of threatening violence against the police officer.
“When Mr. Henry was instructed to get out of the car in order to be escorted to the police station, he refused to do so and violently resisted arrest.
“The female passenger, subsequently identified as Mr. Henry’s mother, Gail Johnson, then attacked the police officer in the course of their arresting and escorting, Mr. Henry into the police station.
“In the course of subduing Mr. Henry and Ms. Johnson, the police officer suffered injuries to his face and arm and the police Sergeant assisting in the arrest, suffered damage to his clothing”, the police said.
The police said that Henry and Johnson were placed into custody and subsequently put on $15,000 cash bail. Approximately 30 minutes after Henry and Johnson were placed in custody, Hughes presented himself at the Sparendaam police station when a statement was taken from Henry in his presence.
“The Force wishes to remind citizens that it remains committed to its mandate as set out in the Constitution of Guyana and Chapter 16:01 of the Laws of Guyana, as it seeks to provide a service that guarantees the safety and security of every person within our country”, the police statement said.
