As investigations into the alleged sexual abuse of several Linden boys continue, the accused police sergeant at Linden is still on official duty but did not report for work over the past few days.
A detective from Georgetown was deployed to the town and has started taking statements from the juveniles and their parents. Up to yesterday the process was continuing.
When contacted yesterday a senior policeman was concerned as to the whereabouts of the accused sergeant who did not report for duty since Friday despite no formal action being taken against him as yet.
A parent of one of the juveniles has called for a speedy investigation into the allegation that the police sergeant sexually abused a group of juveniles who were taken to the Wismar Police station by a school’s welfare officer following a report against the boys last month.
Contacted yesterday the parent said that he and his son were scheduled to give their statements yesterday afternoon since his son was observing the Sabbath on Saturday. He also said he is doing all in his power to ensure that the matter does not fall through the ‘cracks’.
He and other parents have written key senior officials including Regional Chairman Mortimer Mingo on the matter. He also said that action was being taken against his son and the other boys involved in the matter of alleged gang sex with a 14-year-old girl.
“The welfare said that they were going to make the boys an example and they were very firm on that… the police said that the girl or the boys cannot consent to sexual activities because they are all underage and the girl said that she consented to doing the act”, the parent said.
The seven boys, who are enrolled at three secondary schools in Linden, were accused of having gang sex with the 14 year old school girl on two occasions. The first incident occurred during a time when the group should have been at school and the second time they should have been at home in their parents’ care. The incidents took place at a house in Silvercity, Wismar, Linden.
In relating the incident involving the police sergeant, the parent said that the boys, 13 and 14 years old, were taken to the police station by the welfare officer who filed a report against them. They were informed that the matter was a serious one which required them to be at the station for some time.
The parent said that after the School Welfare Officer had left with the girl involved, the boys were called for a second investigation this time in the absence of the welfare officer and the parents and they were made to masturbate for the sergeant. They were threatened that they would be placed in the lock-ups if they didn’t comply. The police sergeant also collected the cell phone numbers of the boys.
“They started talking about it even before we left the station and continued to give more details as we were walking along the street. All of them said that they were made to [masturbate] in front the police officer and they said that he told them if they didn’t do it he was going to put them in the lock-ups,” the parent said. “My son does not live with me and he had already left for home so I asked him the next morning and he told me the same thing,” the parent added.
The matter was reported the following day to the Department of Education, Schools’ Welfare Unit, which then took the matter to the commandant of the Police ‘E & F’ Division at Mackenzie.
