Evidence “evenly balanced” – Magistrate on dismissing charges – Paul Slowe sexual assault case

…says decision not a finding of victim’s fabrication

Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore on Friday found retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe not guilty of three counts of sexual assault when the matter was called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. According to a statement from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the charges were brought under Section 4(3) of the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 8:03. Slowe had been charged on October 15, 2021.
In delivering her ruling, Magistrate Azore stated that the evidence presented by the prosecution and the defence was of equal weight. She noted that the law requires that when the evidence is evenly balanced, the benefit of the doubt must be given to the accused. The court further stated that it could not say it was sure of the accused’s guilt.

The Magistrate clarified that this conclusion was not a finding that the complainant fabricated her evidence but rather a recognition that the prosecution did not meet the high threshold required by law. The charges stemmed from a report made by a female police officer, who alleged that on three occasions in March and April 2019, at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Slowe sexually assaulted her.
Senior Police Legal Advisor and Attorney-at-Law Mandel Moore appeared on behalf of the prosecution. The Police Force stated that it intends to appeal the decision of the Magistrate.