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…Colwyn and Johnson placed on $15,000 cash bail
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Wednesday said that the mother and brother of slain West Coast Berbice (WCB) teen Joel Henry were arrested and subsequently released on $15,000 bail after they violently resisted arrest.
In a statement, the Police said that officers were conducting a routine roadblock in front of the Sparendaam Police Station on the Rupert Craig Highway when a silver grey car, registration number PWW 501, travelling in an easterly direction, on the northern carriageway, was stopped at the roadblock at 20:00 hours.
The vehicle was occupied by the driver, brother of Joel, Colwyn Henry and two passengers, Colwyn’s mother, Gail Henry and Gladstone Henry, father of the late Isaiah Henry.
According to the Police, an officer conducted a search of the car with nothing of evidential value being found in the vehicle or on the occupants of the car.
Colwyn was asked to produce his driver’s licence and identifying documents. He was unable to produce a physical copy of the licence but gave his name as Colwyn Henry and address as lot 32 Cotton Tree, West Coast, Berbice.
“Mr. Henry was instructed to park his car in front of the Sparendaam Police Station, in accordance with established police procedures which require the driver to be prohibited from further driving the vehicle, at which time he became exceedingly abusive to the police officer including the use of threatening violence against the police officer. When Mr. Henry was instructed to get out of the car in order to be escorted to the police station, he refused to do so and violently resisted arrest. The female passenger, subsequently identified as Mr. Henry’s mother, Gail Johnson, then attacked the police officer in the course of their arresting and escorting, Mr. Henry into the police station. In the course of subduing Mr. Henry and Ms. Johnson, the police officer suffered injuries to his face and arm and the police Sergeant assisting in the arrest, suffer damages to his clothing,” the police stated.
Both Colwyn and Johnson were later placed in custody and subsequently placed on $15,000 bail.
When their attorney Nigel Hughes presented himself at the Sparendaam Police Station, a statement was taken from Colwyn in his presence. The GPF said that investigations are continuing into the matter.
Despite the Police’s account of what transpired, Gladstone Henry, believes the matter could have been handled differently had the police showed understanding. He said that Colwyn showed the police a copy of his driver’s license – which expires on April 24, 2021 — on his phone but the rank refused to accept it.
He acknowledged that Colwyn did resist arrest but contested that such was unnecessary given that they were not criminals and the copy on the phone was presented. He also acknowledged the scuffle between the Police and Colwyn.
A video shared on social media also showed that Johnson scuffled with the Police in attempts to prevent the arrest of her son.
According to Gladstone: “He [Colwyn] said he didn’t have the license, he forget the license home but he get it [a picture] in his phone and when he opened his phone and show the policeman the license the policeman said he don’t want that… although we explained, they know what we’re going through. We sons died in the field, in the backdam. We sons were brutally murdered, we’re going through this thing and we’re speaking to this policeman and this policeman said he don’t care ‘bout that. He ain’t care about human life. He ain’t care about what we going through right now, that’s what he said.”
According to law, driving a motor vehicle without a driver’s license is a ticketable offence.
