Two policemen sent to jail for murder

REMANDED FOR MURDER: Police Corporal Godwin Thomas and Constable Troy Munroe

A police corporal and a constable were arraigned on Friday afternoon, for the murder of Cecil Sampat, when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Sampat died while receiving medical attention, after he and others were shot at by police who chased a car in which they were, on July 25, 2020.

Godwin Thomas and Troy Munroe were not required to plead to the joint charge when they appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The men were remanded to prison until August 21.

BIG Smith News Watch has been informed that based on the evidence which was gathered in relation to the shooting, the two are directly responsible for the death of Sampat.

We were told that CCTV footage showed the police corporal shooting at the car with the young men inside, while the warhead which was recovered from the body of Sampat match matched the weapon the constable was using at the time, based on ballistic tests which were carried out on the gun.

The two, and another police constable, were placed under close arrest for the shooting initially, along with thirteen others, but were again placed under close arrest earlier this week, after the Commissioner of Police directed the Major Crimes Unit to review the evidence gathered so far in relation to the shooting.

The police on the operation on that night, claimed that one of the men was armed with a gun, but at the end of a high-speed chase around the city and the subsequent shooting of the men, nothing illegal was found on the person of the men or inside the car.

The third policeman who was placed on close arrest earlier this week is likely to be released on open arrest. Additional works are still being carried out on the file.

Sampat will be laid to rest on Sunday.