The Guyana Police Force today said that a hair sample in the Sheema Mangar case which was to be taken to Barbados for testing in October 2010 was left behind by a policeman but it was eventually dispatched to Bridgetown in August last year and the results are being awaited.
In a widely publicized case, Mangar was run over by a car in September 2010 driven by the man who stole her cell phone and she later died. Her family has expressed frustration at the pace of the police probe.
The police statement was issued in relation to a report in Kaieteur News today about the hair sample being left behind in Guyana.
The statement from Eve Leary today said “The Guyana Police Force wishes to state that during investigations into the incident that resulted in the death of Sheema Mangar in September, 2010, the police processed two cars that were suspected to have been involved in the matter.
“Items found on the vehicles were submitted to the Police Forensic Laboratory for analysis by Crime Scene Investigators.
“During October 2010 the Officer in-charge of the Forensic Laboratory was instructed to take the samples to the Barbados Police Forensic Laboratory for analysis. He did go to Barbados with the exhibits recovered from the crime scene during October, 2010, and officials of the Barbados Police Forensic Laboratory had indicated to him that they would have completed the analysis by January 2011.
“The results of the analysis were received by the Guyana Police Force in July 2011. However, the report did not contain information concerning the analysis of a hair sample that was found on one of the vehicles suspected to have been involved in the crime.
“Enquiries disclosed that the Officer had not submitted the hair to the Barbados Police Forensic Laboratory as it had been left behind. The procedures with a view to disciplinary action are being taken against the Officer concerned.
“The hair was subsequently submitted to the Barbados’ Police Forensic Laboratory for analysis during August 2011 and the Guyana Police Force is awaiting the results.
“Once more the Guyana Police Force wishes to express its disappointment at the continuing publication of inaccurate and misleading information concerning police-related issues by the Kaieteur News which can only be construed as aimed at sullying the image of the Force.
“In this instance the article accuses the “Police Top Brass” of lying to the public, the media, and to Sheema Mangar’s family on the issue of the samples being taken to Barbados for analysis, when in fact the police officials had been truthful and correct; a situation that could have been avoided had the author of the story sought to obtain a comment from the police prior to the publication being made.”