Two policemen have found themselves accused of allowing prisoners to escape the Lethem Police Station lock-ups.
Corporal Jassie Brown, 40, and Constable Dawnlely Joseph, 26, were both charged yesterday with allowing, through negligence or carelessness, Dawn Peters, Michael McDonald and Tygo Da’Silva, who were in lawful custody at the Lethem Police Station, to escape between September 16 and September 17, 2015.
Brown, who has been in the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for the past 21 years and his co-accused Joseph, who has been a member of the GPF for the past six years, both pleaded not guilty to the allegation when they were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday.
Attorney Jerome Khan, who represented both men, made a request for bail.
He noted that Brown was the Supervising Officer on the night shift at the station when the escape occurred, while Joseph was on duty as well.
Khan said the lock-ups are about 40 feet away from the inquiries desk, which faces the gate.
He added that when it was discovered that the prisoners had escaped, due to the alarm that was raised by other prisoners, the defendants went in search of the escapees and went as far as the border between Guyana and Venezuela.
There was no objection to bail by the prosecutor, who, when asked by the magistrate, was unable to state why charges were only now being laid against the defendants for an incident that occurred since last September.
The Chief Magistrate subsequently ordered that Brown and Joseph be released on self-bail with the condition that they are to seek permission from the GPF to leave the jurisdiction until the completion of the matter.
She adjourned the matter to August 29, when it will be heard at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court.
