Crime Chief Seelall Persaud yesterday told Stabroek News that Robeson Benn Jr turned himself into police yesterday morning and was subsequently arrested for the alleged beating of his ex girlfriend.
The Crime Chief noted later in the evening that Benn was still in police custody.
The alleged victim filed a police report on Monday in the presence of her attorney Nigel Hughes. She told Stabroek News that at the Brickdam Police Station she was also given a medical inspection after providing a detailed statement of the alleged assault on her.
The 27-year-old woman said that at approximate 04:00hrs Sunday, Benn entered her home at gunpoint and repeatedly beat her.
Her face was swollen, the left eye in particular. “He punched me on this side because he used to hit me on the other side and said the right had enough he would even it out”. The young woman was severely shaken when she spoke to Stabroek News previously stating that she worked in a public service office and feared that reporting Benn to the police may cause her to lose her job.
She said after the assault she was taken to the Alberttown Police Station where she was turned away and sent to the Brickdam Station. At Brickdam she said she failed to receive the appropriate attention from the police and was unable to file a report and left the station. When she later went to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for an examination to be conducted there was no female officer present and she was sent home.
The woman stated that Benn Jr called her when she had gotten home to check on her and she decided that she would need to pursue the matter because she wanted Benn to refrain from contacting her in the future.
The women and Benn began a relationship back in July of 2012, She said that he became physically violent soon into the relationship which resulted in four trips to the hospital and over ten physical altercations. In November the woman stabbed Benn after she said he repeatedly kicked her in the stomach. She said that they then ended their relationship. However he made contact with her after. The woman said that back in April, Benn assaulted her publicly while she was out with friends.
She has in the past gone to the police but subsequently changed her mind in relation to pursuing charges. The Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness (CADVA) began working with the woman back in 2012. The association released a statement yesterday stating that all conversations with the woman are confidential however “we feel she was making attempts to extricate herself from an abusive relationship and continuing building her life and career.”
CADVA also said “We encourage everyone involved to remain objective to the fact of the alleged claim against Mr. Benn Jr. Treating this case as you would any other domestic violence/abuse case under the current judicial laws governing Guyana’s legal system”. The association stated that it will continue to work with the alleged victim to overcome her ordeal.
Prior to Benn being arrested the Crime Chief had stated that a complaint was issued to the Commissioner of Police into how the woman was treated at both police stations on her first attempt to file a report. He said that the police was taking the complaint seriously and an investigation was underway.
