Fears of further skullduggery surface in probe of cops alleged cover-up of gang rapes

Dec 30, 2019 News

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Six months after police launched an investigation into the alleged cover up by some ranks of a series of gang rapes, there is no indication that the alleged culprits will be charged.
Some individuals who are following the developments closely say that they have received word of further attempts to deny the victims justice.
There have even been reports of one suspect openly boasting that the matter will fall through because of his connections. That individual is reportedly the son of a police rank.
The individuals who are monitoring the matter indicated that they will seek Government intervention if these reports turn out to be valid.
“It appears that there are some people who are hoping that the press forgets about this case and that it just fades away,” a source who is following the matter stated.

A SOLID CASE

What the sources say they have found perplexing is the fact that investigators appear to have built a solid case against the alleged rapists and against the four police ranks who are said to have tried to tamper with evidence. Three of the ranks are female.
Reportedly included in the evidence is a statement by a police handwriting expert, who concluded that a female lance corporal (since retired), forged the signatures of three of the victims.
The same rank is accused of altering the young women’s statements to suggest that they had not identified their attackers. The victims had positively identified their attackers.
The police expert reportedly verified that the handwriting in the altered statements matched samples of the female lance corporals handwriting.

Kaieteur News understands that some of the police ranks who were involved in aspects of the investigation also claimed that someone switched their statements.
Two of the implicated policewomen were attached to the Forces Sexual Offences Units.

LURED AND RAPED

The victims, all in their teens, claim that the policeman’s son and two others, gang-raped and robbed them earlier this year, after they were duped into going on dates with one gang member who drives a car.
It is reported that the alleged serial rapists, including the policeman’s relatives, moved around on a motorcycle and a car.
They allegedly contacted their victims via social media.
The gang would reportedly then arrange to meet the unsuspecting young women. If a young woman responded, one of the gang members would take her for a date in a car.
Unknown to the teen, two accomplices of their date would be hiding in the car trunk.
The date would take the teen to a secluded area, where his accomplices would emerge from the car trunk.
The men would then take turns raping the teen, before relieving her of her cell phone and other valuables.
All the attacks are said to have occurred at secluded areas on East Bank Demerara.
From reports reaching Kaieteur News, the gang slipped up when they contacted another teen, who is a friend of one of the victims.
The young woman allegedly notified the police, who allegedly instructed the intended victim to meet her date at a particular location while the ranks lay in wait.
The date and his accomplices were arrested when they all turned up at the location.
But the investigation reportedly took a disturbing turn when the police ranks realised that one of the suspects was the son of a police rank.
Kaieteur News was told that persons close to the alleged rapists gave one victims family some $200,000 to avoid prosecution.
The female lance corporal from the Sex Crime Unit is said to have acted as the go-between in handing over the hush money.
It is also alleged that one of the implicated policemen made a false statement in which he gave one of the suspects an alibi.
However, that statement contradicted another that the same rank entered into the station diary.
All of the implicated ranks have been transferred.
While the victims allegedly identified all of the suspects, and also provided statements, only one of the men was charged and remanded.
One of the implicated female ranks has reportedly been barred from travelling overseas.
The individual retired from the Force this year and was attempting to go for a vacation in the US.
Another female colleague was removed from the unit that investigates sex crimes and posted to another station.
According to reports, two male ranks accused of aiding in the cover-up were transferred to other police stations.
One individual, a lance corporal, was removed from the Criminal Investigation Department.
The two male ranks are said to be related to one of the alleged rapists.
The Forces Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had also investigated this matter.
Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, had said a few months ago that the media would be informed of the findings of this and other investigations into allegations against members of the Force.

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