SELF-confessed “death squad” member and former policeman Shawn Hinds was yesterday released on $100,000 station bail after being in custody since Monday.Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, when contacted yesterday by this publication, confirmed that Hinds is now on station bail, and is expected to visit the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) sometime today as part of the conditions of his bail.
There were many, including Hinds himself, who thought that the police would have charged the former policeman with past crimes immediately after he was placed into custody; or maybe that the police would have sought an extension to keep the former cop beyond the 72-hour detention period.
After his visit to the CID today, it is not clear how often Hinds would be required to make himself available to the police thereafter.
Yesterday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum would not say if Shawn Hinds had been cooperating with the investigators, but other persons familiar with the investigation have indicated that after a few days of refusing to speak with the police, Hinds would share some amount of information that can help the police in the areas of their investigations.
Shawn Hinds turned himself over to the police on Monday after this publication reported that the police were moving to issue a wanted bulletin for him. He turned himself over to the police in the company of his lawyer, Nigel Hughes who reportedly instructed him not to say anything to the police, and he took that advice very seriously.
Shawn Hinds, in an interview with television journalist Travis Chase, spoke on several issues which got the attention of police investigators and among them was him confirming that he was part of a “death squad,” which was reportedly ran by a former Government Minister in the PPP/C Administration.
The police had also expressed an interest in Hinds after he was identified as the person who was reportedly spotted staking out the private residence of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. A report to that effect was made to the police and the police had from that time been trying to get their hands on Hinds.
Hinds, however, denied that he ever staked out the residence of the Prime Minister (PM), even as personnel attached to the PM’s security detail did confirm that it was indeed Hinds in a vehicle that carried a registration plate, which was later found to be a faked one.
Several high-ranking and high-profile individuals within the PPP/C and former members of the Guyana Police Force, as well as serving members have been implicated by Hinds during his interview with Chase.
The police are also now in possession of the interview and their line of questioning of the former policeman are being guided to some extent, on the basis of what he revealed during the interviews.