Where is the justice?

Feb 03, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,

A serious injustice was done to my 17-year-old son who the Suddie police are targeting while still at school, by restricting his learning despite of having already paid this year’s examination fees.

At all times, it is incumbent upon the police to do their job in an impartial and professional manner, but it was contrary to natural justice for the manner in which my son was treated based on a report relating to larceny of a gold chain on January 24, 2010.

The victim in his report specifically stated that he did not identify the person who snatched his chain from the back and ran away.

My son does not have a criminal conviction, but had some brushes with the law and probably this was responsible for the police linking him as the perpetrator of the crime.

During the investigation, a startling revelation was made of a constable taking the victim to my son while he was in the lock-ups and told him to say, “This is the man who snatched you chain”.

Thereafter, a statement was taken from the victim who included those words and this was deliberately done wickedly and wrongfully just to secure a conviction against my son.

Strange enough, no other suspect was held and obviously, justice would have been better served to have an identification parade but this was not done.

Although I kept visiting the station regularly to ascertain the latest development, all along I was assured that he would be released on bail later.

According to my husband whose son is involved and who is a serving member of the Guyana Police Force, he too was given that assurance by many top ranking members of the institution.

There was no justifiable reason to hide anything from me and just as I left the station, it was brought to my attention that my son was whisked away to court only to be refused bail and placed on remand.

It was not even possible for me to provide legal representation to him, which he is entitled to.

The police were so hasty to do their own thing that they did not consider it necessary to even send the file to the DPP’s Office.

Haimwantie Singh