DPP responds to KN’s rape cover up story – as police confirm files sent six months ago on corruption allegations against ranks

Mar 11, 2020 News

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The office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has responded to a Kaieteur News story about the alleged cover-up of a series of gang rapes by police ranks.
A statement from the office of the DPP confirmed that police had sent files on the alleged gang rapes for legal advice.
However, the statement does not address the issue of the investigation that was launched into the alleged attempts by some ranks to cover up the matter.
Kaieteur News yesterday contacted police officials who again confirmed that police had sent reports to the DPP’s office regarding alleged attempts by some ranks to subvert the course of justice.
According to police sources, those reports about the ranks were sent to the office of the DPP some six months ago.
In yesterday’s release, the DPP’s office stated that “pursuant to your published article headlined, “Six months later…file implicating cops in gang rape cover up still with DPP,” on page 13, Monday March 9, 2020, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions wishes to inform you that on 26th February 2019, it received four police files for legal advice from the Guyana Police Force for an alleged gang rape.
“The police files contained statements from three suspects and four victims. Based on the evidence contained in the four files, legal advice was given therein for the police to institute charges against one accused for the offences of rape, sexual assault and simple larceny.
The four police files were returned to the Guyana Police Force on 26th February, 2019.
The DPP’s Office further wishes to confirm that the accused was charged with the offence of Rape and placed before a magistrate.
The committal has been concluded and the accused is presently listed for trial before judge and jury in the Sexual Offences Court.
“The other matters involving the accused are presently receiving attention.”
Last Monday, Kaieteur News had stated that concern is being raised regarding the state of an ongoing investigation into the alleged cover-up of a series of gang-rape incidents, reportedly committed by a policeman’s relative and others.
What is said to be a detained file reportedly implicates a retired policewoman, one of her female colleagues, and a policeman.
The report is said to include statements from a handwriting expert, who concluded that the retired female lance corporal forged the signatures of three of the victims.
The same rank is also accused of altering the young women’s statements to suggest that they had not identified their attackers. The victims had positively identified their attackers.
Two of the policewomen were attached to the Forces’ Sexual Offences Units.
Kaieteur News understands that some of the police ranks who were involved in aspects of the investigation claimed that their statements were switched.
The police expert reportedly verified that the handwriting in the altered statements matched samples of the female lance corporal’s handwriting.
A policeman who is related to one of the suspects is also accused of paying one of the victims $200,000 to settle the matter.
The female lance corporal from the Sexual Offences 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.
Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, said last July that the media will be informed of the findings of this and other investigations.
All of the implicated ranks have been transferred.
The victims, all in their teens, claim that the policeman’s son and two others, gang-raped and robbed them earlier last year, after they were duped into going on dates with one gang member who drives a car.
The teens said that although the matter was investigated and the suspects apprehended, only one of the alleged rapists was charged.
They have suggested that policewomen who help in sex crime investigations, and who took their statements, were involved in the cover-up.
Kaieteur News was told that persons close to the alleged rapists gave one victim’s family some $200,000 to avoid prosecution.
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.
It is alleged that the investigation took a disturbing turn when the police ranks realised that one of the suspects was the son of a police rank.
While the victims allegedly identified all of the suspects, and also provided statements, only one of the men was charged.

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