Three men accused of beating a taxi driver and hijacking his car were granted $200,000 bail each yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, which heard complaints by their lawyers that police brutalised the men while they were in custody.
Devon Forde
Mark Sawyers, 19, of Lot 1 Success, East Coast Demerara, Devon Forde, 23, of Lot 164 Duncan Street, Campbellville and Kifa Small, 19, of Campbellville Housing Scheme pleaded not guilty before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson to joint charges of robbery with violence. Robertson granted the trio bail and the matter has been transferred to Court Three for December 1.
It is alleged that on October 16, they used personal violence to rob Sinclair Mohabir of a NZE Toyota motorcar valued $3.2M, a quantity of tools valued $70,000 and $10,000 cash.
Mohabir, who was present in court, stated that all his belongings were in his car when it was stolen. He stated that on the day in question he was at Alexander Street, Kitty, when the three men joined the car. He said that shortly after, Small started choking him from behind while Forde dealt him a blow to the left side of his face. He said that his attackers, who conducted a search on his person, were asking him “wey de gun? Wey de gun deh?” He said that the men then dragged him out of his car and had told him to lie on the road. He noted that as soon as the men turned away he made good his escape.
Prosecutor Deneashwar Mahindranauth had objected to the trio’s bail application. Mahindranauth stated that the police had a difficult time locating the trio since they were in hiding. The lawyers for the men then stated that the police and Mohabir had different stories, which clearly showed that an improper investigation was conducted into the matter.
Kifa Small
Sawyers, whose lawyer was not present in court, displayed a black and blue left eye. He explained that he currently attends a popular private School in Georgetown and that he knew nothing about the incident but received a severe beating from the police. “They (the police) deh wan me give them money…..de tell me pay them $50, 000 and dey would done de story but because I din pay dey do this to me,” he said. He also stated that a fourth person, a classmate of his, who was also allegedly involved in the matter, was released while in police custody since he had paid the money that the police had requested.
Attorney Euclin Gomes also stated that his client had suffered at the hands of the police, whom he said started assaulting him at his home and continued at the Diamond, East Bank Demerara lock-ups. The lawyer said that while at the lock-ups the police placed a black bag over Small’s head, made him kneel and had placed a steel object to his head that they identified as a gun, telling him that “if he does not confess to the crime he will be killed.” Gomes added that some time after the beating, a policeman gave his client food and shortly after he had eaten it he started to vomit and had diarrhoea. He said that several moments after his client became unconscious.
Gomes related that when his client recovered he had asked to be taken to the hospital but the police made no attempts to do so. He also stated that his client was prevented from speaking to his parents.
He said that in this state his client was given a document that he was unable to read and he was forced to sign it. He noted that this may have been a confession statement. “We will challenge any confession statement that may have been signed under force,” he said.
Mark Sawyers
Meanwhile, Forde’s lawyer Gordon Gilhuys also said that while in police custody his client was dealt several slaps to his face and was lashed in his back several times with a mop-stick in an effort to obtain a statement saying he was involved in the incident. He noted that his client did not give any statement to the police.
Gilhuys went on to say that his client was placed on an ID parade but that he was never pointed out as one of Mohabir’s attackers. He explained that while at the station the police had taken his client’s cell phone away from him and may have overheard someone saying that he was involved in the incident. He said that the police in an attempt to implicate his client in the incident made a recording of what the person on Forde’s phone was saying. Gilhuys then said that it baffles him that his client was arrested fifteen days after the incident while awaiting transportation on Sheriff Street. He noted that his client was previously accused of stealing a bicycle but the matter had been settled.
All the criminals crying about police brutality .What will happen to the victims of robbery,torture,murder,…….by these criminals.Who will investigate these actions by criminals.
ITS THEIR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS!!!!!
READ THE STORY OVER AND OVER AND AT LEAST 5 MORE TIMES AND YOU might OVERS!!!
They should consider themselves lucky that they did not hear Jerry Lee Lewis song in the background and screams of “Great Balls Of Fire”.
Every criminal is complaining about police brutality, what about when they beat up innocent citizens.They criminal beat people up and ask them where de gun dey, where de money de,where de jewelery de, they have so much time to beat people and ransack their property.If I have my way shoot every criminal on sight, end of story.
This is their intention Jam,,,to drive fear into the police so they can cut loose and do whatever they want,,,it is a strategy used before to keep the police at distance…You look on carefully and you will see the next step…This is why the Government has to be careful…
Sandman,
I am surprised at your bloggging about this.
Borapoke, that ‘great balls of fire’ he he he………….lol
a policeman gave his client food and shortly after he had eaten it he started to vomit and had diarrhoea. He said that several moments after his client became unconscious.
check for food poisoning.
who is the classmate? what is his name, SN why no follow up.
how can anyone believe this crap, when no verification is done.
why are they hiding their faces, i will never hide my face if i did not commit a crime and will fight to clear my name.
They have to hide their faces…and i think you know why.
I hope you get that chance one of these days.
pork i never commit a crime in my life.
i never took what is not mine, was brought up that way.
Wild wild west in Guyana. I just don’t remember Sheriffs accepting bribes to “done de story.” Keep bribing. Enjoy the brutality and hard life placed upon the society. Your silence and acceptance says it all.
This is interesting.Allegation of the Police taking bribe from a suspect,who was not charged,and “Roughing up”,of the three accused,who were granted bail.”Fishy”.
Wow,I cannot believe Gilhuys complaining about Police Brutality. If in fact these three accused hijacked this car, then they should be sent to LEONORA POLICE STATION for some SPIRITS.
wasn’t he a police?
Now you making fun of this story, you see how we guyanese are, when we should be serious about these issues we are joking, and the authorities get a free pass to continue their madness.
was he the one accuse of shooting a police officer, now who is the abuser.
With the new training of the police, let us hope that stories like this will be a thing of the past.
Until now its just hoping against hope…..SEEING IS BELIEVING
And they got bail , Why ?
Because they are innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately with the record of police torture, every suspect will be shouting torture, the police will have to clean up their act quickly before we have real perpetrators on the street planning their next move.
POLICE BRUTALITY,EH? WHO IS THE FOOL? THE PUBLIC OR THE MAN THAT SEE WHO ROB HIM, JAIL FOR ALL OF YOU IF GUILTY.
so, now its not police brutality!!! you folks really belong to the asylum. do you have any shame in your spine ?
J.B. THESE ARE KNOWN CRIMINALS THAT IS SEEN BY THE VICTIM, NOT ALLEDGE CRIMINALS, CONVICTED BEFORE TRAIL, SO GET A GRIP OF REALITY.