Probe of Shawn Hinds’ confessions hits wall

Police have gotten nowhere with their investigation into the revelations made by self-confessed death squad member Shawn Hinds.

Hinds turned himself over to the police in late July after detectives expressed an interest in questioning him following confessions he made during televised interviews.

Hinds was arrested moments after he turned up at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, but he refused to cooperate with detectives. He was later released on station bail.

Contacted for an update, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News that Hinds is still reporting to police.

Shawn Hinds
Shawn Hinds

Stabroek News has since learnt that Hinds is still not cooperating with detectives.

Hinds, during an interview with HGPTV Nightly News in July, had alleged that the police were involved in the assassination of political activist and journalist Ronald Waddell and that he had gone to uplift wea-pons from CID Headquarters.

The death squad, based on what he said, was responsible for the murders of criminals during the crime spree that gripped the country following the 2002 Mash Day jailbreak.

Hinds made the decision to speak to the newscast over fears that attempts were being made to link him to the murder of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing. Police have denied this, saying that the man was wanted in connection with a different offence. Given the content of the interview, police had said that they wanted to gather more information from him.

Hinds has also been identified as being an occupant of a “strange car” which was parked in the vicinity of the home of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. Nagamootoo had told reporters that it was neighbours who identified Hinds and that the sighting was reported to the Commissioner of Police. It is unclear if the police have launched an investigation in this regard.

On August 1, Hinds had made an attempt to leave Guyana through the Suriname backtrack boat crossing. Ranks, who acted on a tip off, thwarted his departure.