A Port Kaituma man is a patient of the Georgetown Hospital where he underwent surgery for internal injuries which he reportedly sustained at the hands of two police officers following a complaint by two women.
Warren Welcome, 31, said that a terrible beating by police has left him in excruciating pain and he had to get “his belly bus to fix a hole … through which fluid was leaking”. Yesterday he called for a thorough investigation at the end of which the ranks; one of whom he identified by name, should be punished.
Divisional Police Commander David Ramnarine told this newspaper that the alleged victim of the assault was visited by two detectives yesterday afternoon. The Assistant Commissioner said that the ranks recorded the information and an investigation will be launched into the matter.
Speaking to Stabroek News, Welcome said that on Saturday night he was at the Harris Disco in Port Kaituma speaking to a young lady when a woman came up and tried to break up the conversation. The man said that he objected to what the woman was trying to do, cursing her in the process. He said that he later went into the disco where he started dancing with someone and the same woman came up and continued her behaviour. Welcome said that the woman was later joined by another and they started troubling him.
During the exchange, he said he again cursed.
According to Welcome, the two women made a report to the police who were nearby and the ranks collected him from the Disco.
The injured man insisted that he was not intoxicated and walked “good good”.
He said that as they neared the police station, the constable (name given) started cuffing him up while shouting “yall does wan people kill yall or what?”
He said that the other ranks threw “one one cuff”. The beating he said continued for about three minutes during which he sustained close range cuffs to his belly and face, after which he was thrown into the lock ups.
Welcome told this newspaper that he was in pain and kept hollering and groaning. He said that he repeatedly asked the ranks to release him so that he could see a doctor.
“You wan go to de hospital? You wan go to de hospital? Like you want ah lock you up in the morgue and ley you dead”, the man recalled being told.
The following night, he was released from custody and went home. On Monday he went to the Port Kaituma Hospital since the home treatments he was receiving were not working. He said that the medical staff at the hospital advised him to travel to Georgetown since they could not find what was wrong with him. He informed this newspaper that the Port Kaituma Hospital does not have an x ray machine.
Welcome was flown to the city on Tuesday and following an x-ray he was wheeled to the operating theatre.
The man said that he has a huge cut on his belly and can only consume liquids. He added that he was feeling “really, really bad”.
He noted that he does “truck wuk” which involves fetching items to earn an income and as a result of his injury he would not be able to do this for some time now.
“Ah gon deh in hey for a good time”, he added.
Meanwhile an upset resident told this newspaper that this is not the first time the police in the area have been accused of brutality.
The man who wished to remain unnamed said that three young residents were reportedly brutalized by the police last year but are afraid to come forward. He said that when persons make complaints against the police they are threatened.
