Another case of Alleged Police Brutality

Colwyn Harding case is becoming more complicated – Rohee

The injured Colwyn Harding.

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee says the alleged sexual assault of Colwyn Harding while in custody at the Timehri Police Station is becoming more complicated as the days go by.

Rohee said that he has been briefed on the matter and it is his opinion that the various reports are conflicting.

“From what has been said by the Minister of Health, the Guyana Police Force, by the doctors and by the person himself [Harding], if we were to look at all that has been said dispassionately…it has turned out to me to be a little more complex and not straight forward,” Rohee told reporters on Monday, January 20.

Harding has alleged that Constable Devin Mahendra Singh inserted a condom – covered baton in his anus, while he was in police custody on November 15, 2013, which allegedly resulted in rupturing his intestines.

Harding is currently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital, while the Police Office of Professional Responsibility has launched an investigation into the incident.

The embattled Constable Singh is under close arrest, while other accused officers have been transferred from the Timehri Police Station to Georgetown.

Rohee made it clear that no action will be taken against Constable Singh or his colleagues until investigations are complete.

Police Constable, Devin Mahendra Singh is accused of inserting a condom laden baton into the anus of Colwyn Harding.

“It’s an allegation. Anyone can jump up and make an allegation against anybody, that’s not unusual,” the Home Affairs Minister said. The doctors who treated Harding claimed that he underwent surgery for hernia and that the 23 – year – old young man never made a claim of sexual assault when he was admitted into the health institution.

The hospital was made aware of the claim through the media. Harding has since revealed that he was too ashamed to tell anyone about the incident. Meanwhile, the main opposition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is urging for an independent inquiry to be established into the report.

Found this on Facebook today coming from Nigel Hughes

On Sunday afternoon i attended the New Amsterdam Female Penitentiary where i interviewed Ms Teanisha Evans, (Colwyn Harding's girlfriend) who was in the house with him at the time of their arrest and Ms Tiffany Edwards who was arrested shortly afterwards two houses away from where Mr. Harding and Ms Evans were arrested. they were all placed in teh same Police pick up and taken to the Timehri Police outpost.

I took written statements of the events that evening and for the the time they were in custody at Timehri. Please be warned that the statement of Ms Edwards contains explicit language as it was used.

Ms Evans was inter viewed by teh Police last Week Thursday and provided them with a statement of teh events.

When Ms Evans told the policeman who took her statement that Ms Edwards was in the New Amsterdam female prison with her and that she had been kicked by Singh, he told her that he was not there for that and took no statement from Ms Edwards.

Ms Edwards has informed me that she had never previously been charged for any offence.

The following are the two statements which were taken.

STATEMENT
19.1.2015

My name is Teanisha Evans.

1. I lived at 67 West Ruimveldt Front Road, Georgetown.

2. I am eighteen years old

3. On the 15th November 2013 around 3.30 AM I was at a house opposite the Timehri fire station with my boyfriend Colwyn Harding also known as Bamma. 

4. Five persons comprising four neighbourhood police and a fat Indian man came to the house.

5. They said there were searching for weed asking where this boy work.

6. I told them his name is Colwyn Harding as he works in the interior.

7. They told me that I am keeping information from the police and I would be locked up for giving officers false information.

8. I then told them you all cannot lock me up for what me ain’t do.

9. Colwyn had on a blue jeans and a blue American eagle boxers.

10. Three of the men including policeman Singh took Colwyn into the bedroom and the fat east Indian man took me outside by the police van which was parked in front of the house.

11. While I was outside by the van with two police officers. I asked them why they were harassing me, you all don’t even have a female.

12. I heard Colwyn screaming inside the house screaming “ you al don’t beat me no more, you all gun kill me.”

13. The beating lasted a long time.

14. The firemen at the fire service came out to the gate and were watching to see what was going on.

15. After about twenty five minutes I ran back inside the house where I saw Colwyn in different boxers wearing wolf brand, small size boxers.
16. I saw Officer Singh hit Colwyn on his hand and tell him put on your clothes we are going to the station.

17. His hands were swollen and he was limping.

18. They brought him to the pick up and put him in the tray of the vehicle and put him on the floor.

19. I saw Singh stuff his mouth with a sponge.

20. They left the house we were in and went up the road to Tiffany Edwards’ House.

21. The police went inside the house and picked up Tiffany and a twelve year old.

22. While they were bring the 12 year old boy to the van one of the policemen took a chopper and broadside the little boy in his face. It left a brand.

23. They took the four of us to the Timehri Outpost.

24. They hand cuffed Colwyn and the 12 year old boy to a bedframe in the Timehri outpost.

25. The police officers who brought us there left.

26. After then left he told me Officer Singh beat he and push his finger up his anus first then he carry him in the bathroom, throw water and a cokes on him and tell him to wine like a girl. He said Singh beat him and he get blacked out. Singh told him he gun push a condom on the baton and push it in him.

27. His hands were swollen and his feet were swollen.

28. They returned about an hour and a half later and took the four of us from the outpost to the Timehri Police station.

29. At the Timehri Police station they put us behind the bench. They did not want to give us any phone calls.

30. Colwyn tied his hand in a make shift sling around his neck.

31. Colwyn put his head on my shoulder and was crying for pain.

32. I told the red skinned inspector who was on duty about the incident and I told them that this man is a wicked man they tried to bugger this boy.

33. The red skinned officer tell me mind me mouth or I’ll be locked up for false allegation against the police.

34. The inspector called out to Singh and told him “If you do that you gun get trouble”.

35. Singh then came and scrambled Colwyn. I jumped in the middle and told Singh you can’t do him them thing no more his is not a criminal.”

36. Singh pushed me out of the way and I fell and hit my head on the desk and got a black eye.
37. Colwyn held onto me and Singh grabbed him and put him in the back cell.
38. I ran to peep to see what cell he was putting him in.

39. They put Ronsley Clarke in the cell.

40. They then took Ronsley Clarke out of the cell and placed him on the bench.

41. I asked them how they could take Ronsley out and not Colwyn. 
Female Officer Grant then put hand cuffs and leg cuffs on me.

42. At 11 PM they took me to east la penitence Police Station.

43. On Tuesday I saw Colwyn at court. He told me once I come out of jail I am good.

44. They took Colwyn, Tiffany Edwards and I in a bus to the Georgetown prison where they dropped of Colwyn, then took us East la Penitence Police station

45. On the way he told me that Officer Singh went there Sunday night and beat him again and he get blacked out again.

46. While at the court I tried to show the Magistrate the marks of violence including my black eye, Colwyn tried to show her his injuries and the Magistrate told us we have to wait for the trial.

47. The case was adjourned to the 25th February 2014.

Signed Teanisha 
9th January 2014
Witnessed by Nigel Hughes. 

Statement # 2

Sunday, January 19, 2014

STATEMENT

My name is Tiffany Edwards.

1. I live at North Sophia Georgetown

2. I am 18 years old

3. On the 15th day of November 2013 I was at my fiance’s house at Timehri behind the airport.

4. Around 3.30 AM I was walking down the road while walking back from the shop when I heard my brother in law Stephon crying.

5. I was walking with a friend who told me “ No Tiffany don’t go in” and I asked why. I told him I could not stand up here and hear my little brother in law crying.

6. I went into the house where I saw Officer Singh and others who were dressed in Neighbourhood Police shirts.

7. Officer Singh snatched me by the my top and told me “Come you black ugly ***** is you we want where is your man.”

8. I told him that if you all have a warrant send out for my husband you all aint suppose to harass me. You not supposed to snatch me by the top.

9. Singh told me to “walk, walk your mother *****”

10. I told him if you can’t speak to me as police in proper manner I will not walk.”

11. He pushed me out of the house.

12. Some of the neighbourhood police men went into a bedroom and throw a bucket of water on my eight and nine year old brothers in law who were sleeping on a bed.

13. I started to cry and said why we have to be treated as animals we are humans.

14. When I go in the van I saw Colwyn Harding and Teanisha Evans crying.

15. Colwyn was asking for help. He said collect my mother number and call she and tell she I have damage from the police.

16. They took us to the outpost.

17. They left us there and came back an hour and a half later.

18. At the time I was two months pregnant.

19. When they came back for us the same officers came back for us.

20. My neck was hurting, Singh told me to walk , I could not walk as my neck was hurting.

21. I sat down in the passage way to the outpost.

22. While I was sitting down in the passageway, Officer Singh started to kick me in my belly. He kicked me three times and told me “I don’t like black ****ing people”.

23. Teanisha picked me up and helped me to the vehicle.

24. On the way to the station I was bleeding from my vagina.

25. They told me I is a criminal, I jumping house and I am *****.

26. At Timehri Police station they put me behind the counter to sit on the bench. I started to bleed more bad.

27. Colwyn was crying out. Colwyn was smelling messy.

28. They went and arrested my boyfriend Ronsley Clarke. They brought everything form the house to the station, the freezer, our clothing, the blinds, the stove, the tub everything.

29. I was crying out for pain. I said you all help me I bleeding bad.

30. They put Ronsley Clarke in the cell and Colwyn Harding was crying out for pain.

31. They told him to get up. He was holding on his girlfriend saying help me help me.

32. Policeman Singh pushed Teanisha and she knocked her head to the desk and get black eye.

33. They put Colwyn in the cell where he started to cry out for pain saying you all call my mother.

34. I started to cry and ask what I get lock up for.

35. I have never been locked up before.

36. They took us to court on Tuesday. I was put on $110,000.00 bail.

37. I could not afford the bail.

38. I was remanded to prison.

39. I was in East La Penitence for four weeks, I bled continuously for the four weeks.

40. I came to Berbice before Christmas. I reported I was bleeding.

41. The medex at the New Amsterdam lock up told me that I lost the child and I started to cry.

42. This was my first child

43. They gave me tablets.

44. I continued to bleed and am still bleeding up to now.

45. I was charged with assaulting a peace officer and disorderly behavior and was placed on $110,000.00 bail.

46. I asked for a medical at the Timehri Police station and at East la Penitence and they did not send me for one.

47. While I was at Timehri Police station my sister in law, Wenella Clarke came to check on her brother and me.

48. A female officer who I know as Kimberley told Wenella that she does suck she father cock and that she father rape she.

49. The female officer said she was the bad woman for Timehri Police station. She hand cuffed both Wenella and I together and spray cologne in our faces and beat us up. I started to cry. The female officer she don’t want no crying in here

50. I would like the police to investigate this.

Signed 

Tiffany Edwards

Witnessed by Nigel Hughes.

Those is some serious allegations, man, what a bunch of shtye here.

What's with the other officers, they just stand around and watch as this goes on?

Awful stuff.

Disparity between Bar Association’s response to ethical violation by Nigel Hughes & Colwyn Harding’s assault allegation

Did you notice the speed with which the Guyana Bar Association broke its protracted silence and rushed to condemn the Guyana Police Force following allegations of sexual assault made against a police constable by Colwyn Harding? Did you notice that the GBA did so despite the fact that an investigation into the allegation is yet to be completed? What about the presumption of innocence until proven guilty?

But let us look back at the GBA's response when it was revealed that Nigel Hughes' relationship with the foreman of the jury during the Lusignan massacre trial, which he failed to disclose, constituted an ethical violation. After having its silence questioned by many, including Attorney General & Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, the GBA said that the allegations against Hughes - despite that fact that it was committed in a court of law - is not within its remit to comment on. The body then went on to defend Hughes eliciting suggestions that it is contaminated by politics and is only activated to be critical of the government or organizations such as the GPF which are connected to the government.

The disparity between the two responses gives credence to the allegations of the GBA’s politicization and claims that it is an opposition front.

rohee say this case is confusing well well what a surprise rohee confuse this f-ucking ass wAS BORN CONFUSE

"warrior" i seriously think you should read the code of conduct of this forum...

You should also not make your emotions get the better of you, while expressing your views.

who you speaking to,or you think you in freedum house you and your ppp comrades is the most corrupt monsters in guyana and you is telling me watch my conduct,get real fool

The IQ level of the handler "warrior" is exposed on a daily basis, one must have petty on his soul. The story on the thread is dealing dealt with, lets hold our horses and like justice takes its course.

dude stick to the reality of the minister of health ( himself accused of rape on one occasion) muddying the waters by interposing himself on what should be a matter for the Police and the minister of Home affairs.

I do not know what happened to this poor fellow in the hospital but given the character of habitual abuse of t he Police and the culture of tolerance in the administration everything he said there could be true.

The PPP brought this state of affairs on themselves when they play loosey goosey with the law. Just a reminder, the video of the Amerind woman beaten to a pulp was an "alleged" happening in the words of the PPP who to date did nothing on that. One can list a mile of incidents of police abuse that fell through the cracks so this is on them. No one believes them any longer.

The story thread is enough to set a person cursing. Be happy they are not throwing rocks.

You're ribbing warrior about his IQ and came up with this sentence. This is funny. 

u beat me to it. hehehe what a clown mr councie is at times.

A local media house is reporting that sources within the Guyana Prison Service  corroborated that Colwyn Harding suffered a hernia after jumping off a stairs in the prison compound where he had been incarcerated.
Doctors who examined Harding had already posited this despite the efforts of Harding, his attorney, AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes, and others to convince the public otherwise. There also no consistency in various eyewitness accounts proffered. Harding's girl friend said it took place in the bedroom of a Timehri house while Harding told the media it happened while he was in police custody at the Timehri lock-up.

Quit muddying the waters. The case will be litigated in court .