Cop accused of fabricating claims to overthrow senior rank

… as assault trial continues

Police Constable Leandre Gillis was on Tuesday cross-examined by Defence Dexter Todd, who sought to compromise the credibility of the complainant before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, in the alleged assault case involving Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Frank Thompson.

The 29-year-old ASP of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, became the subject of public controversy and criticism when video footage of him assaulting a junior rank went viral on Facebook a few months ago. He was in mid-March this year arraigned before Magistrate Judy Latchman on charges of verbal assault and

threatening language.

The first charge detailed that on February 27 last, at Broad Street, Georgetown, the accused used abusive language to the Virtual Complainant (VC), Harrichand Budhai.

A brief synopsis of the incident, as initially provided to the court by the Prosecution, reports that on the day of the incident, the ASP verbally abused and threatened to kill the VC and other occupants of his vehicle when Budhai approached him because he had crashed his vehicle into the motor car driven by the VC.

Budhai had reported the incident to Police Constable Leandre Gillis, who was at the time on duty in the area and according to eye witnesses; Gillis was in turn verbally abused by the senior Police rank. The conduct of the ASP in dealing with Constable Gillis constituted the second charge of abusive language.

At Tuesdays’ court hearing, Gillis was drilled by the trial lawyer who suggested that he (Gillis) had known his client since his training days in the Force and that he had long-standing issues with him (Thompson). Todd also suggested to the plaintiff that he had been spreading word around the courts that he (Gillis) can get the senior rank out of office.

A visibly unnerved Gillis faltered under cross-examination and denied the above suggestions advanced by Todd, who also questioned the discrepancies which arose between his statements and testimony in court.

Following this episode, Constable Nicholas Ingram took to the witness stand to unveil the events as they transpired on the day in question, in a sworn testimony before the court.

However, to the amusement of the court, Todd’s attempt to poke holes in the evidence offered (by the witness) was met with witty, precise and carefully constructed responses by Ingram who seemed to be well prepared for questioning.

This matter will continue at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on September 21.