Latest update January 1st, 2025 1:00 AM
Latest News
AWOL female soldier allegedly kicked, slapped during arrest
A female soldier who absconded from the army three years ago has alleged that she was beaten by some of her colleagues who arrested her on Thursday night.
Private 20903 Melissa Atkins-Lyte and her relatives claim that she was kicked, slapped, handcuffed and dragged from a sister’s Plaisance, East Coast Demerara home by male and female army ranks before being detained in a Camp Ayanganna cell.
Relative said that at the time of her arrest, Lyte, 27, was undergoing medical treatment for a recent miscarriage. They said that the ordeal aggravated her condition and she is suffering from abdominal and chest pains.
Private Melissa Atkins-Lyte outside the GPHG’s Accident and Emergency Unit
Kaieteur News understands that Private Atkins-Lyte has been AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave) since 2007. A sister alleged that the private absconded because her complaints of harassment at the hands of an officer were ignored.
Kaieteur News was told that the AWOL rank had visited a hospital during the early hours of Thursday in preparation for treatment for a miscarriage she suffered about two weeks ago.
Atkins-Lyte later went to a sibling’s house at Plaisance, East Coast Demerara.
A sister said that around 19:00 hrs that same day, three army vehicles stopped outside the premises.
She said that the ranks then scaled the front gate and forced their way into the house. The soldiers reportedly pushed another sister out of the way and entered a bedroom in which Atkins-Lyte was preparing to undress.
According to the sister, a male rank kicked Atkins-Lyte, while a female colleague kicked and slapped her.
They reportedly then handcuffed and dragged her out of the house. She was then taken to Camp Ayanganna.
The sister said that it was only after she had spoken to several army ranks that Atkins-Lyte was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for treatment.
She was also examined at a private hospital before being once again placed in a cell at Camp Ayanganna.
In a brief interview at the GPHC, Private Atkins-Lyte also told Kaieteur News she was assaulted during her arrest. She also displayed bruises on her wrists where she had been handcuffed.
A senior army official has promised to provide information on the incident.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The eternal optimism of the human spirit
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Every New Year’s Eve, like clockwork, we engage in a ritual that is predictable as... more
Breaking the Chains of Poverty: A need for political will
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The year 2024 has underscored a grim reality: poverty continues to be an unyielding... more
Weekend Cartoon
