–accused beaten and burnt on tongue
With the media barred from entering the Wales Magistrate’s Court, a battered 28-year-old man appeared before the court charged with the murder of retired Region Three vice-chairman Ramenaught Bisram.
Battered murder accused Deonarine Rafick (second from left) being escorted from the Wales Magistrate’s Court by police yesterday afternoon.
Deonarine Rafick, of Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara, was read the capital offence by Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan yesterday afternoon. The man was not required to plead to the indictable charge of murder.
It is alleged that between October 25 and 26 Rafick murdered Bisram at his North Section Canal Number Two home. The deceased was discovered in his home, in pools of blood, around 4.30 pm by his brother-in-law on Monday.
Attorney-at-law Pamela De Santos represented the accused in the matter. Rafick, De Santos was heard telling the court, was severely beaten by the police.
The man, the attorney alleged, was burnt on the tongue with a cigarette and wounded to his head by police.
As Rafick made his way to the courtroom a bandage could be seen on the left side of his head and his face was bruised and swollen. Later, through a court room window, the accused could be seen lifting his shirt to display wounds and bruises on his neck and back. De Santos also reported that similar bruises were evident on Rafick’s legs, rear end as well as other body parts.
De Santos, speaking to this newspaper via telephone shortly before 6.30 pm yesterday, said she told the court, “The stairway of justice has collapsed,” and the “ethics of the profession are no more there”. Referring to the beating alleged to have been dealt to her client by police, the attorney stated that it was “embarrassing the police would beat and brutally wound a man when they are our protectors”.
The attorney, who is appearing in association with Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos, further explained that one of the wounds on Rafick was approximately two inches in length “and very deep”. Rafick, according to De Santos, had not been given access to medical attention before he appeared in court and the head wound, she said, was “gaping”.
She named three officers attached to the Leonora Police Station, who she accused of inflicting the beating on her client. “I submitted this information to the magistrate and she also made a note of my client’s injuries on the case jacket,” the attorney said last evening.
Ramenaught Bisram
De Santos said her client was severely beaten “across the backside” and sustained wounds there and along his upper thighs as well. Magistrate Mc Lennan, according to the attorney, ordered that her client be allowed to seek immediate medical attention after the court proceedings yesterday.
Rafick was remanded to prison and the matter adjourned to December 7, De Santos reported.
No Entry
The attorney expressed surprise last evening when informed that the media had been denied entry to the courtroom and later the court/station compound.
De Santos said the court is a public place, the case was open to public interest and the media should not have been denied entry.
“I wasn’t aware that the media were not allowed to enter the compound,” De Santos stated. “I am sure the police did not want the media in the compound because they were trying to cover up the brutality exercised on my client.” Around 11 am, hours before the charge was read to Rafick, Stabroek News’ reporter, the only media representative present at the time, was asked to leave the compound by police. The reporter was also refused entry to the courtroom and told that Magistrate Mc Lennan did not want the media there. This newspaper could not contact the magistrate for a comment yesterday.
“You can’t enter the compound. Stay beyond the fence,” a police rank told the reporter yesterday. “We are working on orders from our commander,” the officer further explained when asked why the media were being barred from the compound.
Despite the constant drizzle of rain police refused to let the reporter, and later other media representatives, enter the compound.
Paulette Morrison, Commander of Police ‘D’ Division (West Demerara), could not be reached for a comment yesterday.
it seems as if police brutality is being justified more and more all over the worls. to burn someone one the tongue is just a brutal…and a gage order to make things worst
Why are these brutal means being used on accused people? They can lead to evidence being rejected because of it being obtained under duress. We want justice but we want it exercised on the right people. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere” M.L.K.
WRITE THE EMBASSY & tHE PRESIDENTS OFFICE
Bora, it is what I like to refer to as ‘When things fall apart’! What more is left for Guyana? We have the ‘honor’ of calling the UK liars and the same was reciprocated. Here is OUR classic case of a state ‘falling apart’ with the amount of evidence staring us all in the face starting with the ‘politicization’ of the security forces to the downright ’scorn’ for the judiciary by the executive, by the protectionist preference of the executive for the police to the same favor being reciprocated by the police… The President boasting about ‘one of the best constitution in the world’… to boasting of the ‘best’ form of democracy in the world… I must say that all Guyanese directly or indirectly affected are looking at the land of their birth placed in a powder keg with sparks flying all around. This is a classic… We are headed for the ‘text book’ definition of a failed COUNTRY! BTW, where are the opposition parties and politicians??? In bed with ….
Not surprised, I predicted in a earlier post that this case would have been solved quickly due to the level the individual held.
The means employed for solving the case would have been brutal.
There are thousands of other cases left unsolved for the victims were insignificant.
Guyana.
These in the GPF do not have the intelligence to successfully investigate a crime and prosecute the lawbreaker. They have to resort to beating the crap out of the person to get a confession. That is a crime!! They should be prosecuted!! What is the lawyer for the defence doing?
I had a worst ass whipping than that for stealing my grandmother fowl..bloggers stop whining
An ass whippin is one thing TORTURE is quite another especially comming from those sworn to serve and protect
Carrion crow, you admitted to stealing your grandmother fowl, you deserve the punishment from your grandmother. She should have also put you on a grater to kneel down with two fire bricks over your head.
In this case the police has no right to met out punishment, that is for the court to decide.
Suppose all the people they beat and burn up are innocent? What will`they do when you find the true perps, tell them sorry?
Torture will make anyone admit to things they did not commit.
But then again, the police is right to do that. These people are the ones continually voting for the present inept government where the government feels indispensable after 17 years.
I say vote them out, Guyana deserves better..
The police didn’t beat anybody. The accused murderer fell down the stairs. The lawyer DID say that the stairway of justice collapsed.
Isn’t it amazing how fast the wheels of justice seem to work when it’s a PPP member that is the perceived victim?
What wheels of justice, how is this justice ? The police in Guyana have one way of “solving” crime: Beat and torture a confession out of a suspect.
BR, the outcome was predictable.
A comic book state.
This is yet another terrible indictment on the Jagdeo Administration. Not the worse. People should rise up and protest against this vile, irresponsible govt.
President swore to uphold the constitution – and he now presides over the violation of the most sacred tenets of the constitution.
He will say he is not aware of these things. He is mostly absent. He refuses to take charge of his responsibities and to uphold and protect the constitution.
You see Raj of Richmond when torture was happening to another section of Guyanese I condemed it and was attacked by my own. They praised the gov’t and police, told me to stay quiet because the police know what they doing, they solving crime and the people guilty. It looks now as though the police know what they doing and they think Deonarine knows what happened to Bisram.
Raj, one of the reasons why I condemed the torture of African Guyanese because I know if Indian Guyanese encourage torture it was only a matter of time before the police turned on them. I don’t know how the PPP can condemn the police now when they supported the police before. Remember the gov’t said it was not torture, just a little roughing up. If they condemn the police now it would be clear they doing so because of race not because of constitutional rights.
Raj, let us await the names of the ones who are the perps! To get to the root of this is best! What is needed is an independent inquiry to dig all the way to the BOTTOM and scrape the barrel. I say that there is ONE behind this issue and I will even add that the motive is coming from a ‘political’ angle. I have lived among these types of behaviors for a long time and I can trust my instincts on these ‘tortures’ that are occurring with increasing frequencies. A poll should be conducted in GY then we will see how many ‘unreported’ cases there really are!!!
why is it the police have to muse force to get confession…is that the only way for them..back in the day don;t have to touch any one to get information..train them how or what question’s to ask and other method to use with our harming ..there are so much ways you can get a confession without using force.
That is how the Police and the Guyana Defence Force hope to
get information from people, you remember:-
Victor, Jones.
Patrick Summer.
Alvin Wilson.
Michael Dunn.
Sharth Robertson.
All of them made allegation of torture during interrogations
in order to get them to CONFESS True Guyanese.
The police are acting this way because of a lack of education. Any body can turn police: thief man,criminals…I thing that the government should stop “letting go” stories like these and start exiging a good selection on his guys in the police force.
The police are there to prevent crimes and not to commit them. Barrat as well as Henry should open their eyes.
THEIR EYES NEVER OPENS! GET A CREW BAR PLEASE.
You pay peanuts, you get monkeys
if they had done that in canada and that judge could see that marks-of-voilence) ,that case is finish!!(it would be toss-out),,,,,, i remember in november 1991 when i went to races ,and comming home about 530-600pm the mini bus stop and pickup an indian woman and her husband at garden-of-eden and the got out at grove,when the lady apply to pay the conductor of the mini-bus she cant find her money ,i was sitting at the back of her,and the said it was me and call the police,,buddy i get some licks,two police beat me for 20min-30min until they decided to stop ,i was in a mess ,i had them court but by 1992feb i get my landed (visa) for canada,the cops name are rodduck and the other is called dickson,use to work for courts sizeing back tv /washer/ect ,,,,sn news interview me and publish my story,,,thanks sn
You are lucky to be alive today, you seems to be a strong
person, guess that is why your name is Iron Monkey.
reddy and his buddies when they read your account of how the police in guyana behaves will say you are anti government or that was in pnc time. like if its any different now.
JB you took it out my mouth. 18 years later same ol, same ol.
Iron monkey you are now supposed to go down to Guyana and find roduck and dickson and remind them of the licks they give you.
say, I remember, 18 years ago, you beat me, most mercilessly for a lady’s money. I have now returned, to challenge you, to a duel of fists, at a place of your choice.
Monkey you must say it in your nose and with both hands behind your back, walking away at an angle, where you can see them in the corner of your eyes.
This is just another reprehensible act, if this guy is guilty of a crime let the court find him guilty, the police have no right in hitting this man this is torture to the highest, no wonder the guyana govt is pussyfooting with reforming the security services, because this crap will never be condoned by the british.
The police must end their wicked practice of using terror tactics to extract confessions from criminal suspects. Also, why did the magistrate allow the police to prevent journalists from entering the courtroom to cover the accused’s court appearance? Wasn’t it apparent to the magistrate that the police were trying to cover-up their wicked handiwork that was clearly visible upon the accused?
Guyana has gone bad. Really bad.
This is why there will never be cooperation between the public & Law Enforcement.If the Govt.does not see this as a problem there will be trouble…they should pay heed.