Prison head to face sexual assault charge
The administration of the Guyana Prison Service is set to undergo some major changes, once the current Director of Prison Welton Trotz is charged for a sexual offence.
Welton Trotz
Kaieteur News was reliably informed that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack, has advised that Trotz be charged with sexual assault of a female prison officer. The advice to charge comes a mere two weeks after Trotz was presented with the Disciplined Service Medal at the recent investiture ceremony presided over by President David Granger. It stems from an incident that allegedly took place in Trotz’s office at the Guyana Prisons Headquarters on Brickdam way back in January. Kaieteur News understands that the woman, a Prison Officer One, is alleging that Trotz, who was confirmed as Director of Prisons last year July by then President Donald Ramotar, made sexual advances towards her. She rebuffed him on several occasions. She claimed that after these advances failed, the Director invited her into his office and showed her pornographic images, after which he again made sexual advances to her. The woman became annoyed and subsequently lodged an official complaint with the then Ministry of Home Affairs. A Board of Inquiry, headed by the late Cecil Kilkenny, himself a former Director of Prison, was set up. That Board, after a detailed examination of the facts of the matter had recommended that Trotz face disciplinary action. He was also advised to apologise to the aggrieved female Prison Officer but he did not. All of this transpired before the May 11 General Elections. Months passed and no justice was meted out to the woman; so she went to the police with the intention of getting criminal charges instituted against the Prison Director. After intense investigations by the police, the file was sent to the DPP who subsequently advised that Trotz, a former Assistant Commissioner of Police, be charged with sexual assault of the woman. When contacted last evening, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan told this newspaper, “I have no comment to make at this stage but I will be speaking to him (today).” Three years ago, the late Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene, was forced out of office following similar allegations made by a 34-year-old mother of two. The woman had alleged that she was forced to have sex with Greene after she was induced with cash and a promise to assist her in a matter that was engaging the attention of the police. Greene had dismissed the woman’s claims as mere allegations and had declared that God will be his judge, although he later admitted to having consensual sex with her. Following weeks of investigations by a team of detectives from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, under the supervision of then Crime Chief Seelall Persaud, the Director of Public Prosecution advised that Greene be charged with rape. However, Greene successfully got the High Court to overturn the DPP’s advice with Chief Justice Ian Chang ruling that the decision to charge Greene was irrational.
