By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – A man who claimed he saw and heard police beating the alleged raped prisoner, 23 – year – old Colwyn Harding while he was in police custody at the Timehri Police station during November 15 -18, 2013 has come forward and is willing to testify in the Court to support Harding’s rape allegations.
The man, who has been identified as Stephon Joseph Phillips aka ‘Muslim’ of Hill Foot Sandpit along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway submitted a statement on the ordeal to Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes who representing the accused in seeking compensation for injuries inflicted.
While the accused is reported to have said that he only told his mother that police ranks held him down as 31 – year – old Police Constable Devin Mahendra Singh forced a baton up his anus, the witness claimed that Harding admitted to him while in custody that he was raped.
The man said he was arrested along with his son, Omesh Persaud on November 14 and placed in the lock ups at the Timehri Police station.
He said the following day (November 15), “I saw about four police officers dragging Colwyn Harding also known as Obamma or Bamma from the reception area to the cells. They were chucking him up pushing him towards the cells. He was screaming and hollering for murder murder. The officers who were dragging him included Constable Singh and Corporal Lowe.”
Phillips said during the night he was able to come out of his cell and was walking in the corridor when Harding called out to him. He said he asked him what was he doing there and he replied “he come down Timehri by his girlfriend and the house where there were dwelling the police rush in there and pick up a suspect of crime along with him with some articles which he has no knowledge about.”
He claimed that Harding showed him several injuries and could not stand properly, as his head and abdomen were swollen. He said while questioning Harding, he told him that “Singh tek a baton and push it up in he and Inspector Khan was right there along with other officers.”
Phillips in his statement said the following day (November 16) was uneventful except that Harding was crying out for pain.
He said on November 17 however, around 18:00hrs a female Police Constable by the name of Timbury started to call Harding “an anti-man and a thief” when he responded to her “so what about your mother?”
He claimed that a few minutes later he saw Constables Singh and Timbury and two other Neighbourhood Police Officers with batons in their hands go into the entrance of the walkway.
He said they entered the cell where they spent about 10 minutes; Harding was at the time hollering “oh God oh god is not me!”
He added that after the ordeal, Harding’s head was burst and he was bleeding from his head, foot and hand. He also claimed that he fainted a few times.
“I took off the shirt from him, threw water on it and started to sap him. I still have the shirt.”
He said at about 5.00 AM the following morning they took him out of the cell. “I did not see him in the Timehri Police station after that.”
