Roadside horror... student beaten with cutlass, rope at De Willem

Roadside horror… student beaten with cutlass, rope at De Willem

Jan 23, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – Three males: ages 15, 16 and 19 are in police custody following the brutal assault of a male student on Wednesday at De Willem, West Coast Demerara, an incident that has sparked public outrage after a video of the attack circulated widely on social media.

The disturbing footage shows the victim, dressed in what appears to be his school uniform, standing helplessly as he is surrounded by the three suspects. The attackers are seen taking turns threatening, insulting and intimidating the student, with one demanding that he apologise while the others looked on.

Police said in a statement that an investigation has been launched into the assault. “Enquiries revealed that earlier that day the victim was assaulted by several male individuals who dealt him several slaps to the face and several lashes about his body with a cutlass and a rope,” police.

The investigations led to the arrest of three persons in connection with the matter. They include two juveniles, ages 15 and 16 and a 19-year-old, all males of Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara. They remain in police custody as the investigation continues.

Minister of Education Sonia Parag visited the Zeeburg Secondary School where the victim is attending and had a stern talk with teachers and students. In a video clip posted to the ministry’s Facebook page she said that there will be zero-tolerance for gangs under her tenure. “Are you supposed to be disrespecting a teacher? Are you supposed to be disrespecting fellow students? So, we know all the right things to do, but why don’t you? Why we don’t do them? Because we are influenced, and because we can be easily influenced. Let me say something to you. There is no way under my tenure that I am going to tolerate any group of persons calling themselves a gang,” Minister Parag said.

Roadside horror... Three teens held after student beaten with cutlass, rope at De Willem

Minister of Education Sonia Parag during her visit to the Zeeburg Secondary School.

She added that any group of persons that infiltrates a school with the intentions to create either a gang, clique or group, she will be working with every single authority against it. Noting that children cannot develop unless they are in a safe environment, she also highlighted that the teachers will not be able to do their jobs unless they too are in a safe space. “We are taking a zero-tolerance approach to any kind of violence, whether it be student against student, student against teacher, student from one school to another school, school against school, and when I say zero tolerance, we are going to be working to drastically reduce bullying, violence, that is stemming from bullying and so on. It’s a situation where I definitely want this to become something that I will work wholeheartedly on for the next five years and that is the position of the Government as well,” she added.

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Assault, beaten, cutlass, De Willem, Student, Zeeburg Secondary School

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