Five members of the Guyana Police Force were formally charged with the murder of 32-year-old Gavin Kennard Douglas on Friday, November 6, six days after he died while in police custody at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station lock-ups.
The officers, identified as Sergeant Tiansay Thomas, Corporal Wencill Marshall, Joel Newsom, Bevis Lyle and Ariff Haniff, appeared before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where the murder charge was read to them. They were not required to plead to the indictable offence and were remanded to prison.
The matter is scheduled to return to the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrates’ Court on November 17.
The charges mark a significant development in the investigation into Douglas’s death, which has raised serious questions about the treatment of persons in police custody and accountability within the Guyana Police Force.
Douglas died on October 31 after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery. His death sparked public concern following reports of a confrontation at the station and allegations that he had been subjected to physical violence while in custody.
A post-mortem examination conducted by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh determined that Douglas died from a brain haemorrhage caused by blunt-force trauma. Two Taser studs were also removed from his body and lodged as evidence.
The findings intensified calls for a thorough investigation into how Douglas sustained the injuries that led to his death while under police supervision.
Following the incident, six police ranks were placed under close arrest and questioned as investigators from the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) pursued the investigation.
Five of those officers have now been charged with murder, while the circumstances surrounding the involvement of the sixth rank have not been fully established in available reports.
The investigation has also drawn attention to the initial police response and the need for transparency in establishing what occurred inside the lock-ups.
Douglas’s mother, Police Inspector Colette Jones, has publicly demanded accountability and questioned how her son sustained fatal injuries while in police custody.
Jones has maintained that she wants answers about the circumstances surrounding his death and has indicated that she will not be intimidated or silenced.
The family’s legal representative, attorney Dexter Todd, is also reportedly pursuing a fiat to prosecute the five officers.
The case has renewed public scrutiny of police accountability, particularly the responsibility of law enforcement authorities to safeguard individuals detained in their custody.
