A city magistrate yesterday granted a permanent restraining order to a woman against her father, businessman Devanand Singh, who she has accused of assaulting and abusing her over a number of years.
The restraining order was granted by Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court 2.
Attorney Bernard Da Silva, who is representing Singh explained to Stabroek News that yesterday’s hearing was set to either contest the restraining order or consent to it being made absolute.
In light of the circumstances, Da Silva said he chose not to contest it and the restraining order was made permanent. “…I chose not to contest it based on all that is happening and we consented to it being made absolute….I asked the magistrate that instead of the 500 feet that was asked for, we are asking for 1000 feet,” Da Silva said.
Da Silva explained that if the complainant desires, the order can be changed.
The court has also ordered Singh to give his daughter all of her personal belongings.
The matter was adjourned to May 6th.
In an interview with reporter, Leroy Smith last Friday, the young woman, whose identity was concealed alleged that she was forced to endure years of abuse at the hands of her father.
“…For the past few years, I have been abused; physically, verbally, emotionally, even mentally. It has impacted me for such a long time but I have never found myself being [conditioned] to believe it’s the way of life—that it is okay, that it is right for anyone to be hit in that manner. It was definitely not okay with me. I was the only one being abused in my household,” she related.
The incident was captured on CCTV footage which the young woman was able to secure to support her claims.
In the footage viewed by this newspaper, Singh could be seen slapping, cuffing and kicking the complainant.
At one point, he pushed her and kicked her into what appear to be clothes racks in his store. A firearm could be seen tucked in his waistband.
The victim’s brother eventually intervened but this did not stop the man from wanting to continue assaulting her.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in a statement had said that on March 28th, the victim filed a report in which she alleged that Singh assaulted her on March 25 at his Kitty business place.
As a result, the police added, an investigation was launched and the businessman was arrested on March 31. His licensed firearms were subsequently seized, the police said.
The following day, Singh was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm and threatening language. He denied the charges and was released on $400,000 bail.
In the interview with Smith, the woman expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which ranks of the Kitty Police Station dealt with her report.
“They were very reluctant in the matter. I was very surprised by the way they handled the matter because at the end of the day it’s a police station. You should feel safe enough to go to them and know that they will help you regardless of what the situation is,” she said.
The GPF subsequently said that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is currently investigating the alleged mishandling of the report.
In the statement, the police said an investigation was launched to determine whether the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were followed by the investigating ranks of the Kitty Police Station. “The OPR investigation will ascertain when the report was made and what actions were taken against the alleged perpetrator,” the police said.
The young woman related that Singh was “very powerful” and had a lot of connections with “people in high places” in the country. “My father is a very powerful man. Seems to hold a great amount of power. He likes to be in control of most things in his life, including his kids, his wife, whoever is around him,” the woman said.
She said she wanted to leave a long time ago but it was “very” difficult. The victim said that she finally got the courage to leave two days after her last encounter.
In a post on her Facebook page on Saturday, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud said the victim is receiving the necessary support. She said the victim called the 914 hotline and was able to secure the assistance of a Survivor’s Advocate.
