Former Chief Magistrate (ag) K Juman-Yassin (SC) has condemned Friday’s attempt by the police to arrest former Assistant Police Commissioner, Paul Slowe who had turned up at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer to several charges.
In a letter in yesterday’s Sunday Stabroek, Juman-Yassin pointed out that Slowe’s matters had been called some time ago but he was out of Guyana on duty for Cricket West Indies.
“He was not hiding or evading arrest and we all knew where he was. No arrest warrant was issued by any Magistrate for his arrest. Paul Slowe returned to Guyana legally through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and announced that he would be attending court as summoned.
He came on his own volition and entered the compound of the Georgetown Magistrates Court with the intention to attend Court 3 and to present himself to the Magistrate in answer to the charges. What happened next was circulated virtually in the social media. It was shameful and utterly disgraceful. It indeed lowered the esteem in the eyes of the Guyanese public and more so in my eyes, the image of the Guyana Police Force. Four police officers surrounded Paul Slowe and purported to arrest him. They wanted to take him into the Enquiries Office, put him in the lockups, to handcuff him and then escort him in the public to the Magistrate”, Juman-Yassin wrote.
Much to his credit, Juman-Yassin said that Slowe refused to be cowed by this unacceptable behaviour of these police officers.
“One was actually holding onto his shirt and trousers as if he wanted to escape or was a person of an unsavory character. I could not believe what I was seeing. Here an Assistant Commissioner of Police who served the Force with distinction and who when he retired was given a farewell parade of honor was being treated with such disdain and lack of courtesy. Clearly these four police officers were acting under instructions from a superior – was it from within the Police Force or elsewhere? One has to ask was this necessary? Was this political? What was to be proved? Did Paul Slowe tread on a police officer who now has power and wanted to get back at him?” Juman-Yassin asked.
He said that Slowe held his ground and when his attorneys-at-law appeared good sense prevailed.
“I wish to condemn what was done to Paul Slowe as there was no justification and only will cause the reputation of the Guyana Police Force to again come under the microscope in an unflattering light”, Juman-Yassin added.
Slowe himself had called the arrest attempt an abuse of power
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Slowe lamented that the ranks who were trying to arrest him, identified as Assistant Superintendent Ramana and others, in response to him asking what he was being arrested for, stated that he was being arrested for the very charge that he was at the court to answer.
“This was an outrageous abuse of power. How [do] you arrest someone for a matter before the court for which an arrest warrant was not issued, when that person turns up in court to answer to the same charge? This is nothing more (than) ‘bully policing’,” he declared.
He added that the ranks were all in civilian clothes and when asked to identify themselves could not immediately produce their Police Identification Card.
“Imagine they went to the court, dressed in civilian clothes, to arrest someone and could not produce their police identification. I can well imagine how people who are not familiar with police procedures and may feel intimidated are treated. This is policing at its worse which must not be condoned,” he said.
During the encounter, a rank held on to his arm and another could be seen at one point holding him by his belt. As a result, he said the ranks held on to him when they had no lawful grounds to do so and this amounts to an assault for which he intend to take the appropriate action.
“Let me make it quite clear I was not asking for any special consideration. But I would not allow anyone to violate my rights, which is clearly what happened today when the ranks held on to me when they had no lawful reason to do so, and even when they were advised by my lawyer to let go of me,” he added.
Slowe is jointly charged for conspiracy along with retired Assistant Commissioner Clinton Conway; Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor; former Police Finance officers, Woman Senior Super-intendent, Marcelene Washington and retired Senior Superintendent, Michael Sutton; staff of the Police Finance Office, Assistant Superintendent, Marlon Kellman and three retired officers identified as Assistant Commissioner Claude Whittaker, Senior Superintendent George Fraser and Superintendent Mark Gilbert.
He also faces three additional charges of sexual assault.
Slowe was released on $100,000 bail on the conspiracy charge and $75,000 for each sexual assault charge. The matters were adjourned until November 26.
