Mayor, Town Clerk accused of covering up child sex case

Nov 19, 2017 News

Chief Constable, Andrew Foo, believes the recent call by Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase-Green for his firing is clear proof that the male Lance Corporal who is accused of having sex with a detained male juvenile at City Hall enjoys the protection of senior officials.
Foo was on leave when the Mayor addressed the investigation of the incident at an Extra Ordinary Statutory Meeting of the Council on Tuesday. That meeting concluded with plans to reinstate the Lance Corporal, and the Corporal who witnessed and reported the alleged act.
The Council has been accused of silencing the witness when they took the decision to fire him.
The Mayor asserted that if anyone is to be fired it should be the Chief Constable. She also scolded Town Clerk, Royston King, for misleading the Council when he took the unilateral decision to fire both the accused Lance Corporal and the witness.
The incident allegedly occurred in August 23. Foo stated that the next day he reported the matter to the Mayor and the Town Clerk, Royston King.
“We have senior officials casting blame and chastising officers. It shows that the whistleblower and the persons who are investigating are involved in this matter and are the persons being threatened in terms of being fired….every effort is being made to protect the accused,” Foo stated.
Foo told Kaieteur News that he reported the matter to King and Chase-Green because unlike the national police, the City Constabulary is not autonomous. He stated that since the accusation was being made against an employee of the Council, further action required the fiat of the Town Clerk.

Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green and Town Clerk, Royston King

Chief Constable, Andrew Foo

It was noted that the Town Clerk took some action against the Lance Corporal weeks after the incident. According to Foo, the Town Clerk should have taken the position to provide further direction to fire or interdict the Lance Corporal from duty.
“In the case of interdiction, the Human Resources Manager has to do that. It passed through the Town Clerk because the Town Clerk is the person responsible for the direction of the Constabulary just as he should be legally advising the Council in keeping with the law,” Foo noted.
Foo said that he finds it very strange that the Mayor has taken the position that she was unaware until the matter was raised in Kaieteur News’s Dem Boys Seh column.
“The same sort of passion she is now showing she could have shown from the inception in terms of directing where this matter should have gone,” Foo stated.
He added, “apparently, they were not aware that this matter by its nature, required some urgency because of the Sexual Offences Act.”
The Lance Corporal was accused of a similar incident last year and following a police investigation he was returned to active duty.
Foo stated that in last year’s incident the matter was transferred to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice. The advice received was that the matter be transferred to the national police because they have the capabilities to handle sexual offenses through a special unit.
He said that in this year’s incident, the Constabulary could not have taken statements because once the national police were called in they would have retaken the statements for their investigation.
He said interestingly, throughout the whole matter nothing is being said of the Lance Corporal who reportedly committed the act.
“You are finding fault with the Corporal who would have witnessed the incident, you are finding fault with the Chief Constable. Nothing is being said about the person who committed the act and is under investigation,” Foo noted.
The Town Clerk has advised the Council that he plans to reinstate both the accused man and the witness. They will then be sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of the matter which is now engaging the national police.
The Lance Corporal was arrested by the national police and subsequently released on bail.