OPR probes alleged torture of Annandale teen while in police custody

Jul 12, 2022 Letters

Kaieteur News – The Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has launched an investigation into allegations that Jahiem Peters was tortured and burnt by police while at the Vigilance Police Station.

Screen grab from the video of Peters at the hospital.

The Police in a report on Sunday stated that around 10:00hrs that day, 17-year-old Peters, called ‘Coolie Boy’ a fisherman of Annandale, East Coast Demerara was in custody for alleged Robbery under arms.

Police said Peters was alone in the lockups when they heard screams coming from there. “When a rank made checks, he observed the jersey that Peters was wearing was on fire,” the report stated. Shortly after, the Emergency Medical Technicians from the Melanie Fire Station were summoned to the station where they treated an injured Peters. Police said the young man was questioned about what transpired and he reported to them that he was given a lighter by another person who was in custody (on the bench), and was playing with it when his jersey caught on fire.

Peters was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for burns he sustained to his left side ribs and hand. Before that police report was released, Peters’ family had released a video on Facebook where the young man was alleging that it was the ranks at the station that burnt him.

A burnt Peters who can be seen with his handcuffs on at the hospital stated in the video that the police wanted to beat him while questioning him about a firearm. “He de want knack me and talk about some gun and me tell them me ain’t know about no gun and me and he start scuffle. After then he get up to get the lighter and light me cause he didn’t know it woulda end up and come so bad. I tek off me jersey and run outside and dash it inside the water. And then they end up saying anytime when the ambulance come tell them that I burnt me self and they video me that I saying duh… They end up beating me to seh duh when the ambulance come,” Peters explained in the video.

Following that report about the incident, the police in another report yesterday stated that Peters told investigators that while he was detained, two of his friends were also brought into custody. They were sitting on the prisoner’s bench in front of the lockups with another male detainee when Peters asked one of them for a cigarette lighter and his friend gave him a lighter. The other prisoner police said admitted to seeing when Peters’ friend gave him the cigarette lighter but claimed that he only heard Peters screaming while he was alone in the cell. “The police officer on duty at the Vigilance Police Station rushed to the cell and removed Peters while his shirt was still on fire. Peters, who was subsequently questioned by the EMTs, claimed that he had been smoking in the lockups when he slept off and the cigarette had caught on his shirt,” the police report noted. While it is unclear what led to Peters getting burnt, an investigation has since been launched while two ranks have been placed under close arrest.