Cops charged over death of taxi driver in Suddie Police lock-ups

1 year later

Three police officers have been hauled before the court of law in relation to the death of a 39-year-old man who died under questionable circumstances whilst a prisoner at the Suddie Police Station more than one year ago.

Lallbachan Bachan, a father of four, of Maria’s Lodge, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), was found dead in the lock-ups on July 1, 2019.
On Friday – July 17, 2020 – Special Lance Corporal Vanessa Milo was charged with manslaughter in relation to the man’s death while Detective Corporal Dwayne Braithwaite and Constable Denzil Glasgow were charged separately with the offence of attempt to obstruct the course of justice.
Guyana Times was told that the charges were instituted after the case file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice. This publication was told the DPP advised that there was sufficient evidence for the charge of manslaughter to be instituted against the female rank who was at the time in charge of the station.

The trio appeared at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court before Her Worship Esther Sam and was not required to plead to the charges.
Bail in the sum of $400,000 was granted to Milo whilst Braithwaite and Glasgow were granted bail at $50,000 each.
The matter was adjourned to August 7, 2020, for report.
Bachan, a taxi driver, was arrested on June 12, 2019, for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was placed on $20,000 bail at the Suddie Police Station and was told to appear before the District Court on June 20, 2019.
The man appeared at the court on the given date but the matter was postponed to June 28. He was, however, unable to attend court on that date and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
According to family members, Police visited their home on June 28 to arrest Bachan. During the three days he remained in the lock-ups at the police station, family members were repeatedly prevented from seeing the man. It was only on June 29 that the man’s wife managed to see him for a few minutes, where he complained of feeling unwell.
On June 30, Bachan’s mother went to visit him at the police station but she was turned away. Then on July 1, as the family was preparing to visit the man again, they were informed of the dreadful news – that their loved one had died.
At the time, the police, in a statement, said that the body bore no marks of violence and were contending that his death was as a result of natural causes.
However, family members reported seeing swelling on the man’s forehead and minor injuries on his hand and feet. They even presented photographic evidence to support their claims.
A post-mortem conducted by Dr Nehaul Singh determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation. Attorney Anil Nandlall had taken up the case to represent the family and push for an investigation into the matter.
Nandlall had argued that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is responsible for the safety of persons in custody and must be answerable when such situations occur.
Moreover, he had told this publication that it is illegal for relatives to be prevented by the police from visiting their imprisoned family member. (G11)