Police Constable/ civilian injured in roadblock drama

INJURED: Colwyn Henry (civilian) and Gemain Elcock (Police Constable)

A police constable and civilian have been injured following an incident at the Sparendaam Police Station.

Injured are Police constable Gemain Elcock who suffered a split lip and bites to his hand and civilian Colywn Henry who also suffered a split lip.

The incident stemmed from the police arrest of Henry who at the time was driving a motorcar with passengers including his mother while not having his license on his person at the time.

Henry was at time head to West Coast Berbice when he encountered a routine police roadblock in front of the Sparendaam Police Station on the East Coast Demerara.

The families of  murdered West Coast Berbice teens Joel and Isiah Henry were in the city to attend the public presentation by an Argentine Forensic investigator on the murders of the cousins.

Their lawyer Nigel Hughes in a statement last night said that Colwyn Henry was unable to produce his license to the police but produced a “photograph of his licence which was in the phone which showed that it was valid until April 2021”.

Hughes said that Henry was arrested and placed in leg irons after being assaulted.

However a video which has since surfaced showed that the police officers were handled roughly by the Henry and his mother as efforts were being made to have Henry taken into the police station to be passed through the records.

https://youtu.be/W06M8OXkyaY

Joel’s father Gladstone Henry who witnessed the incident confirmed that Colwyn showed the police his phone with an image of the license as he said all other documents were presented.

He was at the time speaking to officials of the Guyana Human Rights Association.  He said he even sought the intervention of another Commander as he felt the issue could have been dealt with better.

In recounting the event, the elder Henry said that Colwyn was hit about the head after he attempted to get to his mother Gail who had collapsed, “I disappointed in the police, they could have handled this case in a better way I tried to speak to them,” the elder Henry said.

The police has since dubbed the events presented by the families lawyer Nigel Hughes as “grossly misrepresenting” as it said that Colwyn Henry was asked to produce his driver’s license and identifying documents but was unable to.

The police in a statement said that he was then instructed to park his car at the station in keeping with established police procedures but that Henry “became exceedingly abusive to the police officer including the use of threatening violence against the police officer” the statement read.

The police said too that the driver “violently resisted arrest” adding that his mother Gail then attacked the officer while the arrest was being made.

The Force said that the police officer suffered injuries to his face and arm and a police Sergeant assisting in the arrest, suffer damag to his clothing.

Both Colwyn Henry and Gail Johnson were placed into custody and subsequently placed on $15,000 bail the Police said.