M&CC dismisses Corporal accused of sexual assault after video surfaces

…Town Clerk interviews victim but fails to submit report

By Lakhram Bhagirat

A Constabulary Officer attached to the Mayor and City Council was sent packing on Tuesday, after it is alleged that he sexually assaulted a minor who was detained by the City Constabulary. His colleague, who claims that he witnessed the assault, was also given the boot after he failed to report the matter to the relevant authorities.

The leaked dismissal letters

The alleged perpetrator has been dismissed for gross misconduct while the witness has been dismissed for dereliction of duty in failing to intervene or make an entry of the incident in the station diary.
It was former Deputy Mayor, Sherod Duncan, who broke the news on social media and questioned whether the Town Clerk should be disciplined as well, since he had interviewed the alleged victim and failed to submit a report to the Legal Affairs and Security Committee. Duncan is the head of that Committee and would have complained, on several occasions, about the failure of some officers to produce their statements in relation to that matter.
“I am blindsided, utterly surprised, shocked and disgusted as a Councillor and Chairman of the Legal Affairs and Security Committee that a matter which was submitted to the Committee, and which the Committee is still sensed of is being dealt with now unilaterally. Why now? The Town Clerk interviewed the alleged victim in his office and submitted no report to the Committee on what transpired; should he be sent home as well?” Duncan wrote on his Facebook page.
The incident allegedly occurred when a 15-year-old boy was taken into custody on August 17 and placed before the court on a charge of wandering. At some point during his detention for reasons unknown, the minor was transferred to the Regent Street Outpost where the alleged incident occurred between August 22 and 23.
In an invited comment, Mayor Patricia Chase Green told this publication that the decision to dismiss the officers came following the discovery of new evidence.
“Even at yesterday’s (Monday) statutory those unfinished reports came to the Council and it was agreed that it should not have been discussed at Council until the entire investigations would have been completed and the Committee makes a decision,” she said.
“Between yesterday afternoon and this morning, there were some additional information that was brought to the Council’s attention and some video tapings. Based on those video tapes, and even though it was still an allegation, in the best interest of the Constabulary and the organisation the Town Clerk as administrator of the city of Georgetown would have dismissed them both,” Chase Green added.
She said that following the dismissal of the officers, the Police would have been called in and the matter is now in their hands. The Mayor also noted that the matter is still under investigation by the Legal Affairs and Security Committee and added that there would have been several calls for Town Clerk Royston King to be disciplined for the role he played in the investigation and his failure to produce a written report.
However, she explained that the work of the Committee is still incomplete and as such, no action can be taken as yet.
“So the Police is presently doing their investigation and the matter is out of the hands of the Mayor and City Council. There are a lot of loopholes that caused this to reach where it is and not only those two ranks should be disciplined but there are other ranks along the way and with the completion of the investigation by the Legal Affairs Committee then the recommendations would be taken into consideration,” she said.
Police Commander, Marlon Chapman, confirmed that his division is heading the investigation after they received a call from the Office of the Town Clerk on Tuesday.