Police have done a ‘great work’ in charging taxi driver

Teacher’s death probe

– says acting Crime Chief

Despite taxi driver Matthew Munroe denying the charge of being implicated in the murder of school teacher Kescia Branche, acting Crime Chief Paul Williams has applauded the efforts of his officers in detaining the suspect, even as he continues to claim he was not involved.
Williams, in responding to inquiries of whether or not substantial evidence was available in the apprehension of the 47-year-old man, indicated that Police were

The accused taxi driver, Matthew Munroe appearing in court

acting on legal advice.
In doing so he alluded to the intensive probes currently underway, saying, “With Kescia Branche alleged murder that is a matter that took us some time to really and truly do a thorough and a comprehensive investigation.”
As such, the acting Crime Chief pointed out, “If that investigation did not satisfy the requirement of a charge, on the basis of legal advice, it would not have happened. So definitely seeing that someone is being charged, the Police would have done great work.”
Munroe on Wednesday appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charge of murder committed on the Richard Ishmael High School teacher.
This is as Police are contending that the car from which Branche’s body was allegedly dumped on Cemetery Road belonged to Munroe. With that, the taxi driver was taken into custody on November 30, 2017, just as he returned from the United States.
However, Attorney George Thomas, who is representing the 47-year-old man, told the court that his client denied committing the crime. In fact, Munroe is holding out that he was not in the jurisdiction at the time the crime was committed.
However, Williams told the media that, “Persons can say things, and if there wasn’t

Dead: Kescia Branche

any evidence to link him or his presence in Guyana during and at the time of Kescia’s death, there will be no legal advice in that aspect for him to be charged. So whoever is saying otherwise is doing so on the basis of speculation.”
The acting Crime Chief confirmed that Munroe had left the country, shortly after the incident. Police say that the taxi drive could not have provided information on his whereabouts on the night the woman was brutally attacked. However, Munroe has claimed that his cellphone which was confiscated contains records to solidify his alibi.
Police thereby requested one month to complete the case file and as a result, the case will continue on January 9, 2018. Meanwhile, also implicated were four Police ranks who were seen in the company of Branche on the night of the attack, but they were questioned and subsequently released.
Nevertheless, the acting Crime Chief indicated that further investigations into the involvement of the Cops are underway and from that, actions will be taken accordingly. (Ashraf Dabie)