Summoned on six charges
The Guyana Police Force has refuted claims made by Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys as reported by Capitol News in Tuesday’s edition of the newscast.
In the newscast Magistrate Gilhuys said that he was involved in a minor accident with another vehicle earlier this month but there was no damage to either vehicle. According to Magistrate Gilhuys when the accident occurred he summoned the police who never turned up. He said after waiting for a while, he went to the police and sought assistance. After this visit, he said the police never turned up at the scene and never interviewed him or the other driver involved in the accident. According to the report, the Magistrate was surprised when he discovered that charges were being filed against him and finds it difficult to understand how the charges were drawn up without any investigation being conducted.
The police force had a different version of events yesterday. According to a release from Eve Leary, the accident occurred on Thursday October 2, at about 7.45 pm on Mandela Avenue. The Magistrate was driving motor vehicle PLL 4282 when he slammed into the back of mini-bus BKK 2579 driven by Carl Lampkin of ‘B’ Field, Sophia. As a result of the accident, damage was caused to both vehicles and three passengers travelling in the mini-bus sustained minor injuries. The injured passengers were treated at the GPHC and sent away.
The driver of the mini-bus reported the matter at the Ruimveldt Police Station. During the interview, the female traffic corporal on duty was told that Magistrate Gilhuys was in his vehicle outside of the police station. The female traffic corporal along with another traffic rank and Lampkin went to the Magistrate who was asked to give his version of the accident. The police said the Magistrate then said that the “corporal was too small to deal with the matter” and drove away in his vehicle.
The police officer and Lampkin subsequently went to the scene of the accident to conduct investigations during which Gilhuys was absent. The release added that a notice of intended prosecution was served on the Magistrate by registered post within fourteen days while the driver of the mini-bus was personally served with his notice.
Since the day of the accident, Gilhuys has never reported to the police, the release said. Further the Magistrate never produced any documents and Lampkin has denied settling the matter with him.
After statements were taken from the mini-bus driver and the passengers, investigations were completed and Gilhuys was summoned for careless driving, being an unlicensed driver, failure to produce a driver’s licence, having an uninsured motor vehicle, having an uncertified motor vehicle and having an unlicensed motor vehicle.
The force added that the law in Guyana applies to all Guyanese and “no one should operate as though they are above the law”. It added that Magistrate Gilhuys is not the first magistrate to have been charged after being involved in an accident.
When contacted by this newspaper last evening, Magistrate Gilhuys said that Capitol News has already reported all he has to say on the matter. He said that all his documents are in order and that the police are the ones responsible for all the lawlessness that is taking place.
This is the Magistrate’s second brush with the law in recent months. In June he was accused of discharging a gun at a policeman on Woolford Avenue. After weeks of investigation the injured policeman advised the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that the Magistrate had not fired the shot that had hit him and he did not want the matter to be taken further. The DPP recommended that no charges be brought against the magistrate and later explained that deficient statements from the police force played a role in this. The police have disputed this.
No charge was filed against Magistrate Gilhuys in relation to the unlicensed firearm he had with him that night on Woolford Avenue. Neither the police nor the DPP explained why no charge was filed in this respect.
The Judicial Service Commission is also said to be deliberating on the future of Magistrate Gilhuys but has not arrived at a decision as yet.