Akshay Budhiram, 17, who was allegedly tortured by two policemen last month, is slowly recovering but has been experiencing intense pain due to the injuries he sustained in the attack, his sister Anjanie Budhiram has said.
Anjanie yesterday told Stabroek News that while Akshay’s burns are healing, he has been experiencing intense pain, mostly to the stomach.
As a result, Anjanie said Akshay is scheduled to revisit the doctor soon.
Akshay in an earlier interview said he was abducted on December 16th, 2019, by a group of eight men, who were travelling in two cars, and was transported to the home of the lawmen, who handcuffed him and beat him, while continuously asking for a phone and game he was accused of stealing from their La Parfaite Harmonie home.
He said he was also burnt by his assailants. “Them carry me in a house, put me in a room, handcuff me to a bedframe and start beating me. Them keep asking me weh them thing deh. I tell them me ain’t know about nothing. Them go and hot water in a electric kettle, a black kettle and they start throwing it pun me head. I feel it start running down pun me back and it start paining….I start hollering…them cuffing me all in me ribs, lashing me all with a baseball bat,” the teen related.
The teen, who has denied any involvement in breaking into their property, has said he believes his attackers wanted him dead as they had placed him in the trunk of a car and proceeded to take him to a housing scheme. “I feel they did want kill me because me ain’t know wah they carry me till ah the back suh fah plus them beating me with a shovel…All me teeth all them bruk,” he told this newspaper on Wednesday.
He managed to escape and contact his family.
He was adamant that he had no knowledge of the allegation that is being levelled against him. “…If I did do duh when them throw the hot wata pun me, I woulda talk everything but me ain’t know wah them talking about.”
The case was made public on December 17th during an emergency press conference, which was hosted by Commissioner of Police Leslie James, who announced that an investigation had been launched.
The two implicated cops, Isaiah Bernard and Daniel Bernard, have since been charged jointly with abducting and wounding Akshay.
Isaiah, 26, a police constable attached to the Wales Police Station and Daniel, a 24-year-old police constable attached to the Tactical Services Unit, both of Lot 1092 Thirty-Eight Street La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court on December 20th and were read two charges.
The first charge alleges that on December 16th, 2019, at Schoonord, West Bank Demerara, the duo abducted Budhiram with intent to wrongfully confine him. It was further alleged that on the same date and at the same time the brothers unlawfully and maliciously wounded Budhiram with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm.
The brothers denied the charges and were released on a sum of $400,000 bail with the condition that they report to the Leonora Police Station every Friday before 17:30 hours. They were also required to lodge their passports.
The matters were transferred to the Wales Magistrate’s Court, where they will be called again on January 30th.
