Almost seven months since he was stabbed in the face with a broken bottle during a robbery perpetrated by five men, vendor Garfield James says he is still waiting for justice, while police have been giving him a runaround.
James, 51, known as the ‘Bomb Man,’ was attacked on the night of April 29th and robbed of his bicycle and haversack that contained $52,160.
He told Stabroek News that based on his report to police, a relative, who is one of the persons responsible for the attack, was taken into custody and held for three days before being released on bail. Since then James claims to have been constantly going to the police but with no progress.
“I report the story at East Ruimveldt Outpost and I ain’t get no help on to now. And Brickdam (Police Station), that ain’t mek sense, I report it to them too. At East Ruimveldt I had reported the matter to Officer [name stated], who is [the attacker’s friend]. Every time he (the officer) see me, he laughing at me when he passing. The police them even tell me to go and find the man. The way how the police force going on, I ain’t really like them right now,” James said.
At the time he was attacked, James was looking for a place to purchase food. “They lash me in meh head and juk me in meh face. I sit down there for hours and it was until day clean when I get stitch at Georgetown Hospital. A shop man that I had just buy mints from come up and seh to he [his attacker], why he doing this to me and he [name given] tell de man he must come out ah he story,” the man recounted.
James noted that he complained to one of the parents of his relative, who is 20 years his junior, and noted the parent noted that he had no time with his son and did not want to have anything to do with him or hear about what he had done.
James further lamented that he does not know how long more he can wait for justice from the police and is tired of seeing his attacker on the road walking as a free man.
Calls by Stabroek News to the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost to reach investigators were unsuccessful.
