THE police Tuesday reported that 52-year-old Clifton Clement of Central Rupununi who died days after a beating and was hospitalised, actually died from complications not associated with the alleged thrashing he received from unknown persons.

According to a police press release issued yesterday, the post-mortem performed on the body of the interior resident by Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh found that he died of cirrhosis of the liver and a heart attack.
With the results of the post-mortem, no one will be arrested for either murder or manslaughter since it is clear that the man’s death is unrelated to the beating. The police in the division had indicated to the Guyana Chronicle that they did not arrest anyone owing to several factors, including the fact that the matter of the beating was never reported prior to the man’s death or hospitalisation, the persons who inflicted the blows were unknown and the police had to be guided by the results of a post-mortem.
This newspaper reported recently that Clifton Clement of Hiawa Village, Central Rupununi, in Region 9 had died early Sunday morning at his sister’s residence.
Information reaching the Guyana Chronicle had stated that the man who was first admitted to the Lethem Hospital on October 2 after being taken there by his sister was discharged on Thursday last, October 9 following a trashing that he received on the night of October 1, 2014 in the vicinity of the Takutu Bridge, Lethem.
Speaking with this newspaper, sources out of Lethem who are close to the investigation had revealed that the man left his sister’s Hiawa home on October 1 and was heading for Brazil. He, however, stopped at a shop called ‘Yellow Shop’ close to the Takutu Bridge in Lethem and was seen imbibing.
However rather than proceed to Brazil, the man returned to his sister’s home late that evening and informed her that he was beaten by persons unknown to him. The man was taken to the hospital the following day, October 2 by his sister and was admitted and treated for lacerations to the head and right side mouth.
The matter was never reported to the police and the man was discharged on October 9. However sometime early yesterday morning he had a relapse while at his sister’s home and shortly after he passed away.
The police were informed of the death and visited the home where he died. He was then taken to the Lethem Hospital where doctors there pronounced him dead. The body was then taken to the morgue and the woman gave the police a statement on the matter. It was during that statement that police ranks were told that the man was beaten and was admitted to the hospital earlier.

(By Leroy Smith)