AFC condemns “horrific brutalization” of Colwyn Harding

Jan 15, 2014 News

---

 

The following is the full text of a statement released by the Alliance For Change (AFC) on the alleged police brutality issue involving Colwyn Harding:
“The Alliance For Change like most Guyanese learnt of the horrific brutalization of another Guyanese young man, Colwyn Anthony Harding, aged 23 of 1A Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, when we read a report in Kaieteur News a few days ago.
We note that this event is now a regular occurrence in Guyana and is another in a long lists of assaults and injustices meted out to young Guyanese men who by way of their economic circumstances are taken advantage of by what

can only be described as sick, power hungry, barbaric inhumane individuals within the Guyana Police Force, and who ironically are charged with the responsibility to “protect and serve” the citizens of this country.
We note with increasing alarm that the level of brutality inflicted by rogue elements in the Force is increasing and that the Police Commissioner, Mr. Leroy Brumell and the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, have continually failed to discharge their legal responsibility to investigate criminal activity perpetuated by officers of the Guyana Police Force.
In the case of Colwyn Harding, the Commissioner of Police has failed to take action on an event which took place in November and today the victim lies critical in a bed at the Georgetown Hospital with feces oozing out of his protruding intestines, after a police officers’ baton was shoved up his anus.  Brutal as it is, these are the facts that the AFC has ascertained took place and we feel it is important for all Guyanese to understand the depths to which we have sunk as a people.
Colwyn Anthony Harding was arrested on the 15th day of November 2013 at a house in Timehri North. A party of policemen and members of the community-policing group visited the house he and his girlfriend were staying and kicked down the door.
They claimed that he had stolen some articles from a resident. The group included an Inspector, Corporal Lowe and Constable Singh, who searched the house found nothing of evidential value.
Constable Singh then said that he was going to bugger Harding and videotape it. Harding said that he was not a girl and there was no way in which he was going to let that happen.  Singh then took his baton and hit Harding repeatedly until he fell unconscious.
Harding regained consciousness in the bathroom after a bucket of water was thrown on him and observed that Singh had his camera from his mobile phone on. He then placed a condom on the baton and violently inserted the baton in Harding’s rectum thereby causing injury to his intestines.  Harding started to scream and Singh inserted two panties into his mouth in order to suppress the screams. Harding lost consciousness again.  After the beating became excessive, the inspector said let us take this man to the station.
Singh continued to beat Harding after which he and his girlfriend were arrested along with a thirteen-year-old boy from the area.  They were taken to the Police station at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. After a short while the officer at the police station observed that Harding was looking poorly and called Constable Singh at the Timehri Police station and told him to come and uplift his prisoner as he did not want him to die at the outpost.  Mr. Singh and a party of policemen then went and uplifted Mr. Harding and took him to Timehri Police station.
At Timehri station, Officer Singh continued to beat Harding in the presence of the Inspector and Corporal Lowe. The thirteen-year-old who had been arrested with them told the officers that it was his brother who stole the articles.  The police then left the station to arrest the brother.  After arresting the brother and recovering the stolen articles, Colwyn Harding demanded to be released and he was again beaten unconscious again by Constable Singh.
He was placed in a feces-strewn cell and was crying in deep pain. The other prisoners who were in the adjoining cell repeatedly called out to the police to take Mr. Harding to hospital as they feared he would die in the cell.  The following day instructions came from Georgetown to take Harding to the hospital and again Constable Singh was assigned the task of taking Harding to the hospital.
Mr. Harding maintains that the Constable went to a rum shop where he left the victim in the vehicle while he went to drink and later came out of the rum shop visibly staggering and then he took Mr. Harding back to the Timehri Police station.
At Timehri station Mr. Singh told the female constable on duty to beat Harding because he complained. The female officer was reluctant to beat him so Mr. Singh took the baton and said to her here is how you beat prisoners. He proceeded to beat Harding into a state of semi-consciousness.
Colwyn Harding remained in custody until Monday when he was taken to the Providence Magistrate’s court where there was no case jacket for him so he was kept overnight at the Providence police station.  On the following day charges of assaulting a police officer and disorderly behavior were filed against him, his girlfriend and another person. He was admitted to bail in the sum of $50,000.00 on both charges.
His family was unable to afford the bail and he was remanded to custody at the Georgetown Prisons.  While in the prisons he deteriorated further and was finally taken to the hospital where he was given painkillers and sent away.  On his return to the prison he passed out and was taken to the hospital where he had to undergo emergency surgery.
He thereafter had to undergo further surgery.  He has ruptured intestines through which feces are being expelled. There are no colostomy bags at the GPHC and they cost $3000.00 per bag so they have strapped his stomach with pampers in the meantime.
Last (Monday) night they discovered that there is a serious infection in his intestines as a result of the treatment and colostomy bags have been almost impossible to locate.
Ironically Mr. Harding’s mother, Sharon Harding, is an ex policewoman who was a member of the People’s Parliament.
She texted Commissioner Brumell early in December to inform him of the situation and was immediately contacted by Commander from Division A  Assistant Commissioner Vyphuis and invited to Brickdam police station where she spoke to Mr. Vyphuis, Mr. Watts and  Mr. Vanderhyden about the matter.
She was advised to give a statement to Police Complaints Department and despite having given the statement nothing was done.  Commissioner Vyphuis last week informed her that they would take her son to court to see if they can get the bail reduced.  An attempt was made on Friday last when Mr. Harding was removed from the police station and taken to the Magistrate’s court but there was no court jacket.
After being contacted by Sharon Harding, AFC Chairman and Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes was able to yesterday (Monday) secure Harding’s release on his own recognizance but the court had not informed the Prison so he remains shackled to the bed in the male surgical ward.
On Sunday the 12th of January 2014, Mr. Hughes took his client Sharon Harding to the Timehri Police station to make a formal report of the matter. An extended report was taken by the constable on duty and recorded in the station diary.
The Alliance For Change holds the Commissioner of Police and the Minister of Home Affairs responsible for the rogue activities of ranks like Constable Singh and feel they both should resign, as is expected in any democracy.  The failure of the policemen and women at Timehri station to act while a clearly visibly injured Colwyn Harding laying motionless on the cell floor speaks volumes of the prevailing climate in the Guyana Police Force. We are well aware of their failure to institute effective procedures, checks and balances that could have prevented such an incident from occurring, and their failure to act or seek redress after becoming aware of the situation.
We demand to know if Constable Singh has been charged and what disciplinary proceedings have been instituted against him. We further demand that both the Commissioner of Police and Minister Rohee resign immediately.
Colwyn Harding could be your son. We ask all Guyanese to raise their voices in outrage recognizing that the sons of ordinary Guyanese are being targeted and snuffed out with no indication of this situation improving over the last few years. The fact that no institutions or services could come to the aid of Mr. Harding is even more worrying.
Where possible, the Alliance For Change hopes that the public will assist Mr. Harding by securing and donating colostomy bags to aid in his recovery. The bags can be delivered to Cathy Hughes M.P at her offices above Sidewalk Café in Middle Street, and will be forwarded to Sharon Harding.
This incident highlights that we all are at risk of such violations of our fundamental human rights. We note that Dr. Amir who admitted and treated Mr. Harding has been sent on leave for reasons which are not immediately apparent.
The Alliance for Change expects a comprehensive investigation into this matter.”

---

---