THE policeman who was in charge of the Bartica Police Station at the time of the gruesome massacre almost nine years ago, which killed three of his men and nine civilians, said he went into hiding during the attack because he was alone and felt unsafe.Lewis Goulding, then Assistant Superintendent of Police, was among two witnesses who testified Wednesday in the High Court before Justice Roxane George and a 12-member jury as the trial into the February 17, 2008 Bartica massacre continues.

On trial are Mark Royden called “Durant,” Dennis Williams called “Anaconda,” and Roger Simon called “Goat Man.” They have been indicted on 12 counts of murder and one count of terrorism, one count of unlawful wounding and three counts of break and enter and larceny.

The three men, along with two others, are facing the charges.

Michael Caesar and Clebert Reece have since pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter separately and will return to the High Court on December 16, 2016 for probation report, followed by sentencing by Justice Roxane George.

Royden is being represented by Roger Yearwood, while Williams’s lawyer is Saphier Hussain and Simon’s attorney is Peter Hugh.

Goulding told the court that as officer-in-charge, he was aware of the police Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), some of which he named in court, but claimed he did not render assistance because he knew the station was under attack and he was alone.

Goulding, who retired five years ago, told the court that he was tramautised by the event and he gave a detailed testimony on Wednesday.

Goulding recalled that on February 16, 2008 at about 21:00hrs, he was walking past the Bartica Police Station on his way to check on ranks under his command on First Avenue when he was approached by a woman, who was running.

He said she told him “something” which caused him to change his course and he went to a safe place and in hiding not far from the police station, where he heard gunshots coming from the direction of the said station.

Under cross-examination, he told the court it was about 10 minutes after he was told “something” by the woman that he first heard gunshots.

Goulding stated that the gunfire lasted about 20 minutes and during that time he was peeping from inside a house and when he thought it was safe he went on the road.

As he was about to head to the Bartica Police Station, he saw a vehicle approaching with eight men, two of whom were seated on the bonnet, two in the tray and two in the front seat and two more in the back seat.

Goulding told the court that he then recognised that the vehicle was the land rover, PKK 162, attached to the Bartica Police Station but did not recognise the men. As such, he went back into hiding.

At that point, he said he heard the vehicle turn in the direction of the Bartica Stelling and soon after heard an explosion, after which he came out from hiding about five minutes after having heard what sounded like an engine of a speed boat starting up.

Goulding added that he was peeping and when he heard the engine move off and he went to the Bartica Police Station, where he spoke to Inspector Michael Sutton and other ranks in the yard.

He said he went upstairs into the kitchen area and the barrack room and saw two injured cops he identified as Constables Benjamin and Campbell.

He reported that their bodies bore what appeared to be gunshot wounds and blood. Goulding said in the kitchen area he saw the motionless bodies of Lance Corporal Zakir and Constable Fredericks, both of whom appeared to be dead.

Goulding told the court that in the yard he saw the body of Constable Osborne lying in a propped up position with one hand holding onto the gate. His body bore what appeared to be gunshot wounds.

He said he received some information and he went to the Bartica Stelling where he saw five bodies bearing what appeared to be gunshot wounds and they appeared to be dead.

Goulding said he made contact with the driver and he examined the bodies and had them removed from the Stelling to the Bartica Hospital, along with the bodies of the three slain cops, where a doctor and the medic examined the bodies.

He added that the two injured ranks were also taken to the Bartica Hospital.

Goulding told the court that the men in the police vehicle were not cops, but the vehicle was the police vehicle, a white land rover PKK 162, and at the time he first saw that vehicle he was about 62 feet away in a safe place, in hiding.

Under cross-examination by Defence Counsel Roger Yearwood, Goulding said that because of what the woman told him he knew it was unsafe to go to the police station; as such, he went into hiding and he made contact with his senior officers, Assistant Commissioners Primo and Trotz.

He told Yearwood when questioned that it was about 10 minutes after he had spoken to the woman when he first heard gunshots.

Denzil Spencer also testified in court that he identified the body of his uncle Edwin Gilkes, who was a security guard and witnessed the post-mortem at the GPHC on February 22, 2008 after which the body was handed over for burial in Bartica on February 27, 2008.

The case has been adjourned to December 6, 2016 at 09:00hrs.

Those who lost their lives during the massacre were Bartica residents Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian and Irving Ferreira; Deonarine Singh of Wakenaam; Ronald Gomes of Kuru Kururu; Ashraf Khan of Middlesex, Essequibo; Abdool Yasseen; Errol Thomas, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and Baldeo Singh of Montrose, East Coast Demerara; and policemen stationed at the Bartica Police Station – Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir and Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne.

Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins, then the country’s most wanted man, according to the police, led the gang on the rampage in Bartica as well as the one that converged on Lusignan on January 26, 2008.

Rawlins was killed during a joint services operation on August 28, 2008. With his death and the arrest and prosecution of the five suspects, it had appeared as though the police had closed their investigation.