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Police, Lethem residents at odds over beating

Nov 24, 2010 News

The Guyana Police Force has refuted allegations contained in an article carried in the November 19 edition of this newspaper under the caption “‘Drunk’ Lethem policemen dump beaten man in hospital”.
the article alleged that on Sunday November 14, 2010, police ranks who were allegedly drunk,  assaulted a resident, Jude Joseph, with a piece of wood at Tabatinga, Central Rupununi, and then took him to the Lethem hospital and left him there and reported that he had escaped from custody.
The Force in an effort to set the record straight stated that about 22:50 hours on Sunday, November 14, the police at Lethem Police Station received information that a crowd was beating a man who appeared to be drunk by the ‘Yellow Shop’ at Tabatinga, after the man attempted to steal a motor cycle.
Ranks responded and saw Jude Joseph, 21, with what appeared to be bruises about his body.
However, according to the police, Joseph refused to say anything when questioned by the police.
A plainclothes police rank who was at the scene informed the investigators that Joseph had stolen a motorcycle and attempted to ride off with it but was confronted by residents.
No one from the crowd admitted assaulting Joseph, but almost all of them stated that he had stolen the 150cc. motorcycle which was subsequently taken possession of by the police.
Based on his condition, Joseph was taken to the hospital and placed under guard.
He later gave a statement in which he claimed that he could not identify the person or persons who assaulted him.
According to the police, following investigations conducted, Joseph was charged with larceny of motor cycle.
He appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday where he pleaded ‘not guilty’ and was remanded to prison until December 7.
But residents of the Tabatinga area are angry with the police version of events, maintaining that it is nothing but a fabrication to cover up the actions of their colleagues.
Ian Ignacio, a resident of the area, claimed to have witnessed the beating and is adamant that Joseph was beaten by two policemen, whom he named.
He told this newspaper that he is surprised by the police version of Sunday night’s events since he had given a detailed statement to investigators.
Ignacio told this newspaper that he was near the ‘Yellow Shop’ when he saw a man lying on the ground with two policemen standing over him. There were also a few persons standing nearby watching the proceedings in disbelief.
At the time, he did not recognize Joseph since the area was dark.
“One of the policemen (name given) was kicking Joseph and telling him get up. The other one lash him with a piece of wood. Then they hold he by he hair and dragged him to his feet,” Ignacio told this newspaper in a telephone interview last evening.
He related that the cops who were in civilian clothing subsequently placed Joseph in the light, while continuing to beat him.
Joseph, he said, lost consciousness for about five minutes.
According to Ignacio, when the cops saw him looking at them they asked him if he knew the injured man.
“At that time his (Joseph) face was covered with blood
and I still did not recognise him. It was only after he (Joseph) called his parents’ name that I realised who he was. I told the police that I knew the man they were beating and you could see that they became a bit afraid,” Ignacio related.
He said that the two cops subsequently contacted their colleagues at the Lethem Police Station, who later arrived on the scene.
The ranks who were beating Joseph reportedly told their colleagues that Joseph had stolen a motorcycle.
Ignacio is not disputing the larceny of the motorcycle allegation but he is adamant that he saw two policemen beating Joseph. He is also certain that the two cops were under the influence of alcohol since he claimed to have seen then imbibing earlier.
“I would like to be in court at the next hearing to say what I saw,” Ignacio said.

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