Police, Hughes clash over solving of West Berbice murders

Nov 05, 2020 News

Murdered: Joel and Isaiah Henry

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has rejected assertions by attorney-at-law, Nigel Hughes, that it failed to solve the gruesome murders of West Coast Berbice teenaged cousins, Isaiah and Joel Henry.
The force announced Tuesday that it was offering a $3M reward for any information pertinent to the case. But that move, according to Hughes, is an “admission of failure.”
“I think that the fact that they are offering a reward is an admission of failure and an admission that they are unable to solve the crime with their present means and, therefore, they are hoping that by a financial incentive that somebody will come forward,” Hughes told the media during a press conference with the Henry family.
Not only that, Hughes also pointed out that such a move will only attract persons who have no valuable information to add to the case.

Attorney-at-Law, Nigel Hughes

The force, however, in a statement, deemed Hughes’ comments “irresponsible” and rejected them.
“It should be iterated that the offering of a reward by the GPF is not in any way an admission of failure as stated by Mr. Hughes, but rather a further effort by the police in their investigation with a view to solving these crimes.”
The GPF pointed out that issuing a reward for the public information that may lead to the solving of a crime is an “internationally recognized” and acceptable method to assist investigators and is one that has been “utilized from time immemorial.”
Further, the force said that while it is unsure of Hughes’ agenda and does not wish to speculate, “what is certain is that his unfortunate utterances are neither in the best interest of the current investigations, nor the consolation of the bereaved family on whose behalf he is acting.”
Such statements, the GPF added, have the propensity to undermine the public’s confidence in the GPF and the investigations.
“Investigations into the murders by the GPF have received significant assistance from a RSS team of investigators who have opined that the Police have done extensive work in the probe and has the competence to see it to completion,” the force said, adding that it will continue to work diligently to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Hughes was quick to response to the Forces’ statement, citing that he was impressed with the “alacrity” with which a response was issued.
“Perhaps if,” Hughes continued “the same diligence, commitment and speed had been applied to the investigation of the murders of the young Henry boys, we might all have been in a different place today.”
Further, the attorney said: “I have no doubt that the GPF noted the presence of the immediate relatives of Joel and Isaiah Henry at the press conference and it was with their full prior informed consent and on their behalf that all statements were made at the press conference.”
The press conference in question was held to provide an update on the state of investigations being conducted thus far.
Hughes, on behalf of the Henry family, made a plea for the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team – EAAF- to be brought to Guyana to solve the case.
Investigators had already received outside assistance with the probe from the CARICOM Regional Security Service (RSS).
While the team’s report has not yet been made public, President Irfaan Ali had disclosed that the team recommended that additional works be conducted. He also said that the team was “satisfied” with the work being done by local police.
Hughes had disclosed that to bring the Argentine team with the necessary equipment needed to conduct their investigations would cost $4 million with the exception of travel, meals and accommodation.
An additional US$1,000 would be needed to ship the needed equipment and that team would comprise of a forensic anthropologist from Argentina, two forensic pathologists and a criminalist.
While the force had expressed positive reports, welcoming the assistance of the team, there has been no response to the several letters dispatched to the Home Affairs Minister regarding their involvement.
Family members also pointed out that when the issue was raised with President Ali, merely two weeks ago, his response was not positive.
At the moment, there is no confidence that the force would be able to solve the murders, Hughes stated, owing to many factors.
He pointed out that they are yet to locate the crime scene where the boys were brutally slain and DNA sample results from a cigarette butt retrieved from the scene did not match DNA taken from the suspects who were arrested.
The force had hit a bump in their investigations after it was revealed that the teens were killed elsewhere and their bodies dumped in the backdams at Cotton Tree, West Coast Demerara. Detectives had encountered difficulties accessing the crime scene due to the several days of violent protests by the West Coast Berbice residents.
The road was blocked in several locations, persons were beaten and robbed and vehicles set afire.
However, after the chaos subsided, investigating ranks were able to access the scene and only then could have determined that the boys were not killed at the spot where they were found.
The force had said that a full-fledged team that consisted of 75 police ranks, the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters along with ranks from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, conducted a “methodical” eight-hour search in the backlands with the hopes of finding anything of evidential value to the investigations.
Ranks on the ground also received aerial support via a helicopter from the GDF. The team led by the Regional Commander, unfortunately, failed to find any evidence to aid their investigations.
Added to that, Hughes revealed that Joel was found in pants other than the ones he was last seen with. But the police, he said, did not send those for forensic analysis.
Questions were posed to the GPF on when an update would be provided on that matter, but up to press time, no answers have been provided.
The mutilated bodies of Joel and Isaiah Henry were found back on September 6th, in clumps of bushes near to a coconut estate located at Cotton Tree Backdam, WCB.
Protests marred by violence had erupted over the news of their gruesome murder and days later, the body of another teen, Haresh Singh was found, lying in a patch of grass and bleeding from the nose at the Number Three Village backdam.
Singh was later pronounced dead at a hospital and was identified as the grandson of one of the suspects, a rice farmer, who was in police custody at the time for the murder of the Henry boys.