Police fail to charge rogue cop in brutality case

Oct 13, 2019 News

The Guyana Police Force, Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) at Eve Leary, Georgetown, are still to initiate action against the East La Penitence Outpost rank who allegedly brutalised a city businessman, fracturing his left hand in the process.

the city businessman Jermaine Wilson who reportedly beaten by ranks at the East La Penitence Police Outpost, in the company of his pregnant child mother, Jewel Bearam

The matter which occurred on July 19, last, had seen much prolonged delay for investigation by police ranks who were unable to explain the reason for such action. The businessman, Jermaine Wilson, of Lot 50 East Front Road, Georgetown was reportedly beaten with a wooden club by an officer at the outpost even though he was hand cuffed.
Wilson assailant had also cuffed his child mother, Jewel Bearam, in her abdomen twice, as she attempted to video the incident, even though she was well advanced in her pregnancy.
The couple had visited the police outpost to check on a male relative who was held for another matter, when the incident occurred. Reports indicate that the rank who abused the couple acted out of jealously since Wilson had a past intimate relationship with the mother of his children.
Videos of the beating of the businessmen became viral, sparking outrage in many communities around Georgetown, especially so, since the rank was allowed to remain on the job or was never indicted.
A reporter visited the Police Complaints Authority in the presence of the businessman, but had concealed his identification card, and was mistakenly taken for a relative of Wilson.
A rank (name provided) was openly rude to the reporter as he made enquiries, but the table turned when the reporter supplied his work identification card.
The rank then readily provided information and attempted to divulge that the businessman’s file was sent to DDP even though it was quite visible on his desk.
At the OPR office, the investigative rank tasked to look at the case had assured that the officer would have been tried departmentally and in the court of law within a week, but almost three weeks have elapsed, with no such action taken.
Officials at the Police Complaints authority had also informed this publication that the matter would have been concluded within a week, but on Friday refused to comment further on the issue.
Same was the case at the Office of the Professional Responsibility where the investigating rank rudely refused to comment further on the matter. It was this rank who had begged our reporter to use his affiliations at the GPHC to ensure an extent of injuries report was collected for the businessman to close the investigations.
Officials at the GPHC yesterday indicated that they had prepared the report a long while now, and that it was the OPR ranks responsibility to collect it.
Credible PCA sources indicated that the accused rank can face charges of assault and causing actual bodily harm to the businessman, as well as for assaulting his pregnant child mother.
They explained, also, that the rank can also be tried departmentally and if found guilty can face charges for breaching laws that surround the police code of conduct and SOP’s