Mon Repos man jailed for 9 months for assaulting cop

Samuel Paraj, a 27-year-old unemployed male resident of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD), is the fifth person to have been charged in November for assaulting a member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
While Police Headquarters did not release any details about this incident, the Police have said that Paraj was arraigned before Sparendaam Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool on these charges: assault of a peace officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly behaviour.

Paraj has pleaded guilty to all the charges, laid under the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, and has consequently been sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment on Tuesday.
During November, several traffic Police ranks were assaulted by motorists in incidents that are detailed below:

Vreed-en-Hoop
Last Thursday, a 28-year-old tailor of Lot 108 Best Road, West Bank Demerara pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from his assault of a Policeman, which was captured on video.

Brought before Wales Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty, Nicholas Balkishun pleaded guilty to behaving disorderly, assaulting a peace officer, and driving under the influence (DUI), and was fined a total of $27,500. He was fined $10,000 for the disorderly behaviour charge, $10,000 for assaulting the Police officer, and $7,500 on the DUI charge.
According to reports, Balkishun was arrested by traffic officers for DUI on November 23, and taken to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station. While there, he became involved in an altercation with approximately three Policemen, and was caught on video slapping one of the Policemen in the face.
“I would cuff yuh in yuh f$#%ing face!” Balkishun was heard telling another Policeman.
Balkishun has also been charged with damage to property and using abusive language.

Berbice
Earlier in that week, two teenagers from Angoy’s Avenue in New Amsterdam, Berbice were caught on video assaulting a Policeman, and were arrested and charged. The incident occurred just after 08:00h last Tuesday.
Quincy King, 18, and Christopher Abrams, 19, were charged with multiple offences, including assaulting a peace officer. On the charge which alleged that he assaulted a Policeman, Abrams pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 hours of community service at the New Amsterdam Magistrates Courts. He was fined $5000 for behaving disorderly; $20,000, or six weeks’ in prison, for driving an uncertified motor vehicle; $20,000, or six weeks’ imprisonment, for driving an unlicensed vehicle; $20,000, or six weeks’ in prison, for being an unlicensed driver; and $7,500, or one week in jail, for driving without a helmet.
Abrams was also charged with failing to stop when required by a Police rank in uniform, to which he pleaded not guilty and was placed on self-bail.
Meanwhile, King has admitted to driving an uncertified motor vehicle and driving an unlicensed motor vehicle. On each of those charges, he has been fined $20,000, in default of which he would have to serve six weeks in jail.
For being an unlicensed driver, he has been ordered to do 40 hours of community service at the New Amsterdam Magistrates Courts. And for not stopping when required by a Police rank in uniform, he has been fined $10,000; in default of which he would have to serve one week’s imprisonment.
He has pleaded not guilty to driving a motorcycle without a safety helmet, and assaulting a peace officer. On each of these charges, he has been granted self-bail, and he and Abrams have to return to court on December 21.
Arraigned before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the New Amsterdam Magistrates Courts, the arrest of these two defendants came shortly after a video recording of the duo jointly attacking and assaulting the Police rank began circulating on social media.
Police Headquarters reported that the Policeman was providing the teens with traffic instructions and directions, but they failed to comply with those directives and an argument ensued. Upon trying to caution the men, the Policeman was knocked to the ground by the duo, and was then forced to get on his feet and defend himself from an aggressive and abusive Abrams, who was seen in a video punching the cop about his body.

Montrose
On Tuesday last, Okemi Omali Harry, the irate minibus driver who assaulted two traffic ranks who were on duty at Montrose, East Coast Demerara on Saturday, appeared before Sparendaam Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool to answer 13 charges.

The 30-year-old Harry, of Lot 93 Middle Street, Ann’s Grove, ECD, has had to answer to the following charges: failure to wear a seatbelt; failure to carry a conductor; having tinted glass on his minibus; failure to behave in a civil and orderly manner; two charges of assault of a peace officer; damage to property; use of indecent language; disorderly behaviour; careless driving, and failure to comply with Police directions. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
The prosecution objected to Harry being placed on bail, but the Magistrate granted Harry bail in the sum of $150,000 and ordered him to return to court on December 19.
According to reports, Harry was stopped by two traffic ranks on Saturday after he was seen speeding on the roadway. He was told of the offence and was asked to produce his driver’s licence.
However, in the process of being issued with a ticket, Harry attempted to pull his driver’s licence from the Police, but was unsuccessful.
As such, Harry attacked one of the ranks, punching him about his body before choking him and throwing him to the ground. (G1)