By Shuntel Glasgow
A 22-year-old accident victim, on his deathbed, accused ranks of the Guyana Police Force of inflicting serious wounds on him on the day he was involved in an accident outside the East La Penitence Police Station during a road block. However, the police have strongly refuted the allegation and said they have video footage to the contrary.
Collin Murphy called ‘Day Day’ of Haslington New Scheme, East Coast Demerara died on March 31, after being involved in a crash on 13th February. He had been hospitalised at Georgetown Public Hospital for six weeks before dying.
According to reports, Murphy, who had been employed at the Guyana Shore Base Inc as a welder, was attempting to escape a group of police ranks at a roadblock outside the East La Penitence Police Station, when his motorcycle collided with a car.
Murphy’s mother, Camile Paul, told Stabroek News on Sunday that they were notified by a doctor that her son was hospitalised one day after the accident. She added that upon arrival at the hospital her son was in an unconscious state.
When Murphy regained consciousness a few days later, she said, he explained that the injuries he received in the crash were minor.
Murphy, on the hospital’s bed, explained in a video seen by Stabroek News that after he collided with the car, the police immediately removed him. “Them police kick me into the post, and I sure them lash me up in me head with the gun because if you watch me skin it ain’t get nuff whitey, like you know yuh fall off a bike. So all them gun butt them lash me up in me neck back. Pick sense out of nonsense, if I crash into a vehicle I ain’t supposed to get more injury on meh skin?” he asked.
Murphy maintained in the video that he was beaten by two policemen and the injuries he received as a result of the accident were minor and not severe enough to cripple him from the neck down. He emphasised in the video that the doctors had communicated that his neck was broken and his spine was damaged.
Paul explained that police officers refused to provide full video footage of what transpired at the accident scene. She added that they were shown a video by police but it cuts immediately after the car collided with her son’s motorcycle. She added that the car was from Green Ice Taxi Service.
The tearful mother explained that she is a cleaner and her son was the only child who assisted her financially. “Me in know who gon help we now. Me aint know where we gon get money from,” she cried.
Paul explained that when she saw the motorcycle it only had a bent wheel.
Murphy leaves to mourn three children, one of whom was born while he was hospitalised. He was unable to see the baby because of his critical condition.
Tried to evade
Traffic Chief Dennis Stephens told Stabroek News yesterday that on the day of the accident there was a roadblock on the western side of the road. Murphy, he said, tried to evade the lane and went to the eastern side of the road. He was going against the traffic when he collided head-on with a hire car.
Stephens further explained that full video footage was available and at the time of the accident Murphy was riding a motorcycle without a number plate and he was not wearing a helmet.
A file is being prepared to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.
The traffic chief said that he tried to cooperate with the family reasonably by showing Murphy’s sister the video footage several times. However, the sister was not convinced by the video and held on to the allegation that her brother was beaten by the police.
Stephens said the video shows that when the young man collided with the car, public-spirited citizens rushed to the scene first and another car stopped and the driver exited the vehicle and went to the scene. A few minutes later police ranks went to the scene and Emergency Medical Technicians arrived shortly after with the ambulance.
