CRIME Chief Leslie James told the Guyana Chronicle on Friday, that the file pertaining to the Junior Torrington torture investigation has been sent to him from the Office of the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, after the latter had finished perusing it, and that it would shortly be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.There had been some amount of confusion, earlier in the week, regarding the whereabouts of this file and the time the police were taking to complete investigations.

The PCA Chairman had recently told this publication that he was unable to advance investigations into the teenager’s complaint because the file had been sent to him without the medical report regarding the young man’s injuries; and the GPHC CEO had informed this publication that the police had not, as is customary, made an official request to have Torrington’s medical supplied.

The police subsequently issued a release stating that it has been encountering huge obstacles in having the GPHC issue a medical report regarding Torrington’s injuries. The police release stated that numerous police requests in this regard had been met with a counter-request to return for the medical in a few days’ time, only to find that the medical report had still not been prepared.

While he was in custody at the Sparendaam Police Station, Junior Torrington’s hands had been burnt by a detective constable using methylated spirits and a lighter. The incident has caused the police to take immediate short-term action against the culpable rank and other ranks at the Sparendaam Police Station, but the matter remains under investigation.

After the incident, the errant rank had offered one of Torrington’s parents one hundred thousand dollars as settlement in the matter; but according to the teen’s attorney, Mr Dexter Todd, the understanding was that the money was to be a means of assisting with transportation expenses.

(Leroy Smith)