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Man sues State for $35M for unlawful imprisonment
Kaieteur News – A minibus operator has sued the state for $35M after he was unlawfully arrested and imprisoned by the police last year October.
Attorney-at-Law, Dr. Dexter Todd
Richard Rodney, a minibus operator of Industry, East Coast Demerara was unlawfully arrested, detained and then imprisoned by members of the Guyana Police Force, his lawyer Dexter Todd detailed in a press release on Wednesday. Todd said that Rodney has since filed the lawsuit seeking compensation in excess of thirty five million ($35,000,000) for his unlawful arrest, detention and imprisonment without any proper investigation or logical cause.
In the press release the lawyer said that on Wednesday October 4, 2023 Mr. Rodney was driving a mini-bus which he operates as public transportation along the East Coast public road in the vicinity of Sugrim Singh Road when he was stopped at a road block that was being manned by the Guyana Police Force. Rodney, the lawyer said was told to “get out of the vehicle” by a Police Officer (name withheld) who took him to an inspector of police, indicating to the inspector that an arrest warrant was out for Mr. Rodney, particularly surrounding an outstanding balance owed for a battery.
“Mr. Rodney was taken to the Sparendaam Police Station by the said police officer who went into a room and brought out an arrest warrant for damage to property in which the defendant on that warrant was sentenced to six months in prison by the Magistrate. Mr. Rodney indicated to the officer that he was not that person; neither does he live at the address stated on the warrant. He further showed the officer his driver’s license and indicated that they should do proper investigation to know who they are looking for as that person is not him. Unfortunately, Mr. Rodney’s pleas fell on deaf ears as the police officer indicated that it was Mr. Rodney who was sentenced, that he didn’t care to hear about anything else and that Mr. Rodney must spend six months in jail for the matter,” attorney Todd detailed.
According to the lawyer, Mr. Rodney was arrested and later that evening taken to the Cove and John Police Station where he was placed in the lock-ups. The next morning Rodney’s hands and feet were shackled and he was subsequently taken to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court where the issue of the battery was settled,’ the lawyer related. However, Mr. Rodney was then taken to the Sparendaam Police Station where he was again shackled. “He told the station Sergeant there that they have the wrong person but she refused to listen and even told him that he should serve his time and let his family fight his case after that. They further refused to call the complainant to verify if police had indeed arrested the right person.”
According to Todd, Rodney was then taken to the Lusignan Prison where he was admitted as an inmate of the prison to serve a sentence of six months.” Mr. Rodney told his story to multiple officers, including senior Prison Officer Mr. Charles, who did some investigation of his own and unearthed that indeed Mr. Rodney was who he said he was and not the person the police should have arrested.”
The lawyer noted that on Friday October 6, 2023 at about 7pm Mr. Rodney was collected from the prison and taken to the Brickdam Police Station by the police where he was made to give a statement and then subsequently handcuffed again and later placed in the lock ups of the Brickdam Police Station. On Saturday October 7, 2023 Rodney was taken to the CID office at the Brickdam Police Station then to the Lusignan Prison then to the Brickdam Police Station again and thereafter back to the Lusignan Prison with the correct person,’ the lawyer explained. “At about 2pm on Saturday October 7, 2023 Mr. Rodney was taken by the police onto the Mon Repos Public Road, East Coast Demerara where he was then released from custody.”
Lamenting the actions of the police, Attorney Todd said “a mere phone call to the virtual complainant in the matter or verification of the information provided by Mr. Rodney would have been sufficient to prove that he was not the person who was sentenced to prison by the court. It was not until the prison service got involved that the truth of the story was unearthed and the Guyana Police Force realised they had imprisoned the wrong person. “
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