[www.inewsguyana.com] – Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee says the alleged sexual assault of Colwyn Harding while in custody at the Timehri Police Station is becoming more complicated as the days go by.
Rohee said that he has been briefed on the matter and it is his opinion that the various reports are conflicting.
“From what has been said by the Minister of Health, the Guyana Police Force, by the doctors and by the person himself [Harding], if we were to look at all that has been said dispassionately…it has turned out to me to be a little more complex and not straight forward,” Rohee told reporters on Monday, January 20.
Harding has alleged that Constable Devin Mahendra Singh inserted a condom – covered baton in his anus, while he was in police custody on November 15, 2013, which allegedly resulted in rupturing his intestines.
Harding is currently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital, while the Police Office of Professional Responsibility has launched an investigation into the incident.
The embattled Constable Singh is under close arrest, while other accused officers have been transferred from the Timehri Police Station to Georgetown.
Rohee made it clear that no action will be taken against Constable Singh or his colleagues until investigations are complete.
“It’s an allegation. Anyone can jump up and make an allegation against anybody, that’s not unusual,” the Home Affairs Minister said. The doctors who treated Harding claimed that he underwent surgery for hernia and that the 23 – year – old young man never made a claim of sexual assault when he was admitted into the health institution.
The hospital was made aware of the claim through the media. Harding has since revealed that he was too ashamed to tell anyone about the incident. Meanwhile, the main opposition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is urging for an independent inquiry to be established into the report.
