The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday denied claims that William Roy Marshall, the Linden resident who is a suspect in last year’s torching of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Registration Office at Wismar, was “abducted” from his home by unidentified law enforcers.
The denial was issued in response to an earlier statement from the Office of Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon and claims made by the family of Marshall.
It was claimed by Harmon’s office that the man was “forcefully abducted” from his home early yesterday morning by ununiformed individuals who were purported to be members of the GPF.
Marshall, 51, the driver for the Region 10 Chairman, is the suspected mastermind behind the fire and the police yesterday confirmed that he was arrested late Thursday night for questioning in relation to the crime after he was implicated.
Three men, Byron Kendall, 48, Teon February, 22, and Marlon Hunter, 20, were yesterday charged in relation to the crime and remanded to prison.
The statement from Harmon’s office cited reports from Marshall’s wife indicating that he was awakened from his sleep and “forcefully abducted from his home in the dead of night by persons dressed in plain clothes and claiming to be officers of the Guyana Police Force, but who produced no identification or warrant.”
In condemning what it dubbed an “unconstitutional abduction,” Harmon’s office also said that up to 10am yesterday the Police Divisional Commander at Linden claimed no knowledge of the arrest by elements external to the Police Division.
“What is especially troubling about this incident is that it appears as though the PPP regime, in defiance of the constitution and laws of Guyana, has activated the shadowy parallel police force known as Regional Security Support Teams,” the statement added.
As a result, it said the development supports its No Confidence motion filed against Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn, “in whom no right-thinking Guyanese can have any confidence and who must be removed”.
In addition, a post made on social media site, Facebook, a relative of Marshall also said he was “forcefully taken” from his home without being provided with a reason for his arrest.
“My brother, William Roy Marshall, driver of the Regional Chairman of Region 10, was forcefully taken from his home last night by three plain clothes presumably police officers,” the post stated.
“His wife informed the family that he was not read his rights and was not told what he was being arrested for. They said he was being taken to Mackenzie Police Station. At this time, the police in Linden has informed the family that William Roy Marshall is not in custody and they have no knowledge of his arrest,” it added.
At the time when the post was made yesterday, the relative expressed that the family’s fears that Marshall was “kidnapped”. “We plead for answers,” the relative wrote.
In a response issued last night, the GPF confirmed that Marshall, is a suspect in the July 14, 2020 burning of the GECOM Registration Office at Wismar, Linden, and maintained that his arrest was properly executed.
“In effecting the arrest of William Marshall police ranks, comprising both ranks in uniform and in plain clothes, went to his home at about 2325h last night. Upon the police knocking on the door of the house William Marshall looked through a window and saw the police ranks. He then opened the door and while standing in the entrance he was informed that he was wanted by the police for a matter under investigation and was arrested,” the GPF statement said, while adding that he remained in police custody.
It further noted that the case is being investigated by police ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, Eve Leary, and the Regional Police Division.
