THE police have denied that Shaka Chase was assaulted and tortured in any way while in police custody.

Referring to an article in yesterday’s Kaieteur News, headlined ‘Police refuse alibi statements for accused cop killer’, a police statement yesterday said neither was Chase forced into admitting that he committed the crime, as alleged by relatives in the article.
The incident in which Corporal Romain Cleto was shot and killed occurred at about 18:45hrs on April 27, 2013, in the vicinity of Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown.
According to the statement, on May 15, the police got a statement from an eye-witness who identified Shaka Chase as one of the persons in the motor car immediately before the shooting. The eye-witness also stated that Shaka Chase was known to the eye-witness for several years.
The laboratory report subsequently received also indicated that a swab from Shaka Chase’s hands was positive for gunpowder residue.
On May 16, he was interviewed by police investigators who asked him to explain the gunpowder residue on his hands and also told him that an eye-witness had given a statement that he (Chase) was in the vehicle from which shots had been fired that killed Corporal Cleto.
On that day, less than one hour after he was rearrested, Shaka Chase gave a confession statement in which he named three associates, one of whom had been arrested previously and swabs taken from his hands tested positive for gunpowder residue.
On May 18, Attorney-at-Law, Gordon Gilhuys indicated to a police officer that Shaka Chase had been assaulted by the police who immediately took Chase to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was seen and examined by a medical doctor who issued a medical certificate that there was no sign of injuries.
At 17:30hrs on May 19, Attorney-at-Law, Nigel Hughes went to CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, in connection with the matter, and was told to return on Monday May 20, since there was no CID Investigator at the CID Headquarters at the time, the police statement concluded.