…victims demand apology; say reputation tarnished
By Farah Bates-Ali
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has launched an investigation into the alleged wrongful arrest and detention of eight East Berbice –Corentyne (Region Six) residents on Saturday by ranks of the Springlands Police Station.
Five of the eight arrested have been identified as 21-year-old Kimberly Hoyte of Dukestown, Corriverton; 28-year-old Lotoya Gilgeous and her sister, 32-year- old Sheneza Felix of Scottsburgh, Corriverton; 20-year-old Shaundy Grimes and 18-year-old, Mark Matthews of Springlands, Corentyne Berbice.
According to reports, a group of police officers arrested the eight persons during a raid in Corriverton area late Saturday night.
In an interview with Village Voice News, Hoyte, a laundress at the Skeldon Public Hospital said she was about to retire to bed when several officers arrived at her home demanding entry to conduct a search.
She said she allowed the Police access to her home. Nothing illegal was found. The woman explained that she was then instructed to get dressed as she was wanted for questioned.
“When I go to the station, they didn’t even question me or nothing. All the officer said was ‘put she in the cell’. I was not allowed to say anything or even ask for an explanation as to why I’m being questioned but I stayed in the cell and about 2 or 3:00 in the morning they come and wake me up, telling me to hold a placard stating ‘Receiving stolen articles’. I told them I’m not holding anything and taking any pictures because I didn’t commit any crime but they still take my pictures and shared it with a media house and that is very embarrassing,” Hoyte told Village Voice News.
The traumatized woman said her reputation has been tarnished since the incident. She recounted that on Sunday, a female rank took statements from her. She enquired why she was being held but the rank was unable to state.
“She didn’t even know why they locked us up. She said she have to make calls to the other officers who brought us in the night before. So it’s like they don’t even know what they were doing,” an angry Hoyte told Village Voice News.
Hoyte said she spoke with the Region’s Commander, Jairam Ramlahkan, who apologized to her and committed to investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, the sisters Lotoya Gilgeous and Sheneza Felix recalled being awaken by barking dogs and footsteps on their staircase.
“I got up and call for my mom and she came out. So the officers were at the door knocking and my mom asked who is it and they said it’s the Police. So my mom asked how must I know it’s the Police and they told her to open the door and then you’ll know or if you don’t, we will knock the door down,” Gilgeous said.
The woman explained that her mother opened the door and the officers forced their way into the house and began searching. They were informed that the police were looking for ‘a thief man’.
“I told them that is just women and children in this house and he said if we don’t know anything then everybody getting lock up. When I told him that children in the house, he said granny will look them and that granny lucky to get save because she gatto stay with the children,” the visibly shaken woman said.
Gilgeous said she and her sister were taken to Springlands Police Station and placed in unclean cell with old bicycles and scooters.
The sisters said that like Hoyte, their reputation is tarnished. “People don’t know the story and they just commenting all sorts of stuff and that right there spoiled my reputation and I’m supposed to go overseas in a few months so I don’t know how that will affect me in the future because it’s like I have a police record for something I didn’t do and my picture and name all over the internet”, said Gilgeous.
Similarly, 18-year-old, Mark Matthews and 20-year-old, Shaundy Grimes said they had just left a popular hangout spot in Corriverton when a group of Police Officers stopped their vehicle in Dukestown, Corriverton and began searching without an explanation.
“When they stop the car and open the back door they said ‘oh we get here here’. So I wanted to know what they talking about then they put an elastic thing around our hand and carry us to the station. They just ask us our name and age and throw us in the cell without even saying what we did”, Grimes told Village Voice News.
Matthews, who recently wrote the Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) said is embarrassed by the incident and does not want to be seen in his community as he is labeled as a thief and is being laughed at and taunted.
The teen told Village Voice news that he was forced to hold a placard labeled Robbery Under Arms.
“I start taking the thing on when I hear I make the news for robbery because I know nothing about that and I’m a young man and now if I have to go look for a job, persons might find it hard to employ me because my name is down that I committed a robbery,” the angry teen said.
Both Grimes and Mathews are calling on the GPF to issue a public apology since they were wrongfully accused and labeled.
Meanwhile, Commander Ramlakhan told Village Voice News that said an investigation has since been launched into the matter.
