Shaka Chase hugging a boy and surrounded by family members and well-wishers.

Shaka Chase, who was accused of murdering Police Corporal Romain Cleto, was Thursday freed after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised that the charge be withdrawn.

After Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry told the 26 year old man that “you’re now a free man,” Chase, his family members and other well-wishers rushed out of the court.

They ran out of the courthouse on to Middle Street where several other jubilant persons rushed and hugged Chase. After a few minutes, they arranged for him to leave the area in a car.

When Chase was arraigned last Monday for the gunning down of Cleto on April 27, the Police Prosecutor had told the court that it appeared that the DPP had not provided advice on the matter.

Defence Lawyer, James Bond told reporters that “justice has prevailed this morning” based on the submission of several alibi statements to the DPP and alleged torture of Chase by the police to force him to sign a confession statement.

“A charge that is based solely on a confession statement is tenuous so where this wide outcry- was a fact that Shaka Chase was indeed beaten. The second thing was the defence that Shaka Chase has, the defence of alibi which a police officer and other persons could attest to him being at a place other than Avenue of the Republic,” Bond told reporters.

A Tiger Bay, Georgetown resident, Natasha Blackman, had also accused the police of shocking her about her body and beating her. She has said that under pressure she had signed a statement saying that she had seen Chase in a car with several persons on the night of the shooting death of Chase.

Investigators have said that they had obtained positive gun residue results from the hands of Chase shortly after he had reported to a nearby police station on the advice of a policeman who had called him shortly after the incident to inform that he had been implicated.

Police have denied that Chase and Blackman were tortured or assaulted during interrogation.

Moments before Cleto was shot near the corner of Avenue of the Republic and Regent Street, he had been a member of a police patrol that had been trailing a suspicious car. When the vehicle stopped and Cleto exited, he was shot several times.

Police have recovered 9 MM and 7.62 MM spent shells from the scene.