More than a month since the Head of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), Cecil Kennard recommended to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that an inquest be held into the controversial shooting to death of Buxtonian, Donna Herod there has been no word from the DPP’s chambers.
The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack has not been available to comment on the issue to this newspaper and no one from the DPP’s Chambers has been able to shed light on the status of the case. Kennard, former Chancellor of the Judiciary, had handed over his report to the DPP early November recommending that a coroner’s inquest be held speedily to put to rest public speculation concerning the case. Kennard had urged the DPP (ag) that in view of the public interest in the matter Chief Justice Carl Singh should be approached to take urgent steps to appoint a magistrate to hear the case as early as possible. Kennard in his submission to the DPP said that there was no clear-cut case to show that the police were responsible for the death of Herod as their ballistics findings showed that the bullet that struck her had not been fired from their weapons.
The final decision whether to hold an inquest rests with the DPP.
The main opposition, PNCR two weeks ago said that “It is a scandal that more than four months after Herod’s life was snuffed out by a bullet from elements of the security forces, no inquest has been held into her death.” The party also reiterated its call that an inquest must be held into the death. Police Commissioner (ag) Henry Greene had been adamant that the bullet that killed Herod did not come from the police. He had said that the police in the operation were heading in a different direction when Herod was killed.
The mother of nine was killed while on her way to collect her children from nursery school while police and soldiers were hunting down criminals in the village.
It was during an exchange between the lawmen and the gunmen that Herod was hit.
Herod’s death had sparked outrage in the Buxton community and several organizations and political parties had condemned the police operation and called for an independent investigation to be conducted.
