Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 02, 2018 News
A retired Crime Scene detective recounted removing a tarpaulin of bones, skulls and other human remains from Lindo Creek, Upper Berbice, while the father of one of the slain miners wept on the stand as the first public hearing into the June 2008 slaughter of the eight victims was held yesterday.
Detective Clemsford Burnett (retired); Winston Harry, father of slain miner, Bonny Harry; the slain miner’s wife, Maureen Harry; and Dr. Donna Stewart, wife of Lyken Funeral Parlour owner Gordon Lyken, testified yesterday.
Testifying before COI Chairman, Justice Donald Trotman and Attorney Patrice Henry, ex-detective Burnette recalled that in June 2008, he had viewed several crime scenes.
Prior to travelling to Lindo Creek, he had accompanied Joint Services ranks to Christmas Falls, in the Upper Demerara/ Berbice River.
They had flown into the area by chopper to investigate a shootout.
The retired detective was unable to say who was involved in the shootout.
Then, on June 8, 2008, he was at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, when he received information that eight miners had been killed and burnt at Lindo Creek. He then joined several other ranks who travelled to the area.
On arriving, the former policeman said that he saw “an open area with two camps.” There was also a dredge operation nearby.
On checking the second camp, he saw at the front half, “a pile of charred remains.”
“On checking, I saw they were human remains…shoulder bones, limbs…parts of skulls and flesh that wasn’t burnt properly,” the ex-policeman told the COI. He stated that the remains were about a foot high and eight feet wide.
Also at the scene, according to Burnett, was a 7.62 live round, four 7.62 x 39 mm spent shells, a sledge hammer that weighed about 67 pounds, a Scotiabank card, a birth certificate with the name Barry Lloyd Patrick Harry, a burnt passport, and a national identification card.
The former crime scene detective said that the remains were placed in a tarpaulin, while the other evidence was placed in envelopes and lodged at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary.
Burnett said he later accompanied Trinidadian and Jamaican experts back to Lindo Creek, where the Jamaicans retrieved a wedding band.
The remains of the slain miners were taken to Lyken Funeral Parlour.
He testified that autopsies were performed on the remains, but none of the victims’ relatives were present.”I never saw the victims’ relatives or took statements from them,” he said.
When he took the stand briefly after the former detective, Winston Harry, the 85-year-old father of slain miner Bonny Harry, broke down in tears when he was asked about his son.
Testifying while seated, Mr. Harry said that his son, who had two daughters, had taken the family’s licensed shotgun to Lindo Creek. He stated that the shotgun was never recovered.
Mr. Harry said that he last saw his son alive on March 2008, while recounting that Bonny would usually come out of Lindo Creek every Christmas and often visited him and gave him financial assistance.
In June 2008, he was at Supenaam Stelling, when a woman (Lavern) asked him if he “had heard anything.”
He was then told that “eight men get shoot up at Lindo Creek.” According to Mr. Harry, no police ranks or anyone in authority ever contacted the family. He said that the family eventually “got together” and held a memorial service for his son.
“Only Kaieteur News contacted me”
Maureen Harry, the slain miner’s widow, also repeatedly stated that no one in authority ever contacted the family. She said she last saw her spouse in March 2008, when he came from Lindo Creek to the family’s Zorg, Essequibo home and left some money.
She also testified visiting various National Insurance Scheme locations in an effort to get her husband’s NIS savings and being unsuccessful, since she was told she had to get his death certificate.
Aside from some ranks from the Neighbourhood Police, no other Police ranks, or government officials contacted her.
“The only person who came to us was somebody from Kaieteur News, about two to three weeks after.”
POLICE PROVIDED ONE COFFIN
And Dr. Donna Stewart, wife of Lyken Funeral Parlour owner George Lyken, recalled receiving a call on June 21, 2008 from the Guyana Police Force to pick up some burnt human remains from an interior location. The police also requested that a porter from the funeral home to accompany ranks to the location.
A female employee accompanied the ranks to Lindo Creek and returned that afternoon. The large bundle of human remains, wrapped in a tarpaulin, was picked up from Ogle and taken to Lyken Funeral Home.
Police ranks accompanied the hearse to the parlour.
Dr. Stewart identified former Detective Sergeant Burnett, who had testified earlier, as one of the ranks who accompanied the remains.
The remains were left at the funeral parlour “for a couple of days” before the police returned for the post mortem and for DNA samples to be taken.
The remains were then left at the Lyken Funeral Parlour for approximately four years, the longest remains have been kept at the parlour, which has been in existence for some 90 years. .
In the first two years, ranks visited the parlour to take samples, she said.
On September 10, 2012, the remains were prepared for burial. Prior to this, Dr. Stewart recalled often visiting the CID Headquarters to enquire how the remains would be disposed of. She would speak to “Detective Cosbert and Detective Seelall” who were at the CID Division at the time.
When the remains were to be buried, Dr. Stewart said she informed the ranks that eight coffins were needed, “since there were eight persons that died.”
“I was instructed by the then Crime Chief that there was only one coffin needed for the burial. Through my negotiations, we were able to obtain three coffins to be buried in three tombs. However, we did not have names to put on the tombs; there was only one family member there, so we were able to use two names on the coffins. “
She explained that human remains are usually buried in cases in which there is further investigation, and exhumed later.
During the first year, family members would come to find out when the remains would be buried, and Dr. Stewart said she would tell them to contact the police, who still had custody of the remains.
“My understanding was that the one family was notified that burial would take place. The following day, they got calls from other family members about burial of the remains, which were entombed at Le Repentir Cemetery.”
Questioned by Justice Trotman, Dr. Stewart said that three women, including the mother of one of the victims, attended the memorial service, which the funeral parlour arranged. She said that the women were inconsolable, and “tore the coffin apart.”
Those slain at Lindo Creek were Dax Arokium, Cedric Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres.
A few relatives and friends staged a protest outside the Ministry of the Presidency, where the COI is being held. The hearings will resume next Tuesday.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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