THE case of Colwyn Harding, the young man who alleged that he was brutally baton-raped and otherwise assaulted by two police officers while in custody in 2013, was yesterday forced to be adjourned until September 21st.Special Prosecutor Nigel Hughes made an application before Magistrate Leron Daley at the Providence Magistrates’ Court for the matter to be adjourned, citing the passing of his mother

Christobel Hughes in a road accident last Saturday.
There was no objection by Mr. Leslie Sobers, the lawyer appearing on behalf of Roselle Tilbury-Douglas, the policewoman accused in the matter.
The trial was scheduled for continuation with Colwyn Harding on the stand to continue his testimony.
Harding, during the trial, was called upon to testify about the incident leading to the charges, but suffered an emotional break-down while testifying.
Earlier Harding had testified that the police went to his home at Timehri on November 15, 2013 when he was with his girlfriend Tenisha Evans, and kicked down his backdoor. Harding said Constable Singh handcuffed him and dragged him into the bedroom while the other officers continued to search the house.
Singh, Harding said, became annoyed when he denied being a member of the notorious “Hot Skull” gang and began beating him and when he tried to scream the constable gagged him with his underwear and continued beating him.

The witness explained that he was then dragged into the kitchen, where he was further interrogated and brutally beaten by the said officer, causing him to fall to his knees.
Police Constables Devin Singh of Lot 125 Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara and Roselle Tilbury-Douglas of Alliance Road, Timehri, East Bank Demerara, have been jointly charged with assaulting Harding during the period November 1 to 13, 2013, at the Timehri Police Station, so as to cause him actual bodily harm. Devin Singh was also slapped with an additional and separate assault charge.
According to reports, the two police officers who were based at the Timehri Police Station pushed a condom-covered baton up Harding’s anus in November 2013. Harding, who was at the time a prisoner on remand for allegedly assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, had suffered a ruptured intestine. Harding later underwent two private examinations, one at a private hospital here and the other in Jamaica and the conclusion from both examinations was that a foreign object had been inserted into his anus.