THIRTY-YEAR-old Maxine Duncan-Seenauth, a mother of three and resident of Alberttown, Georgetown, was last week badly beaten to her head, eyes and about her body at Ekereku Backdam, Region Seven, allegedly by a rank of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).Relating that the past two weeks have proved very difficult for her while working in the Region Seven backdam, she told the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday — days after coming out of the interior — that there are not many females at Ekereku Landing, and she would like justice for the beating she received at the hands of the police rank.

Duncan-Seenauth recounted that between December 3 and December 7, 2016, while socialising in the vicinity of Ekereku Landing, two police ranks, whose names she provided, continuously harassed her for a “bless up”, a practice which she said was quite common at the location. The traumatised woman told Guyana Chronicle that the two ranks would, almost on a daily basis, visit the room in which she was dwelling with the hope of receiving money and sometimes alcohol.

Based on her assessment, the men were not interested in having sexual intercourse with her, but would constantly harass her to buy alcohol and other drinks for them, as well as provide them with money.

“They didn’t talking the sex thing…they were pressuring me a lot…they keep coming to me, calling me out for something to drink and a raise,” she said. Before she was beaten, she had heard rumours of the ranks harassing persons in the backdam, but, in her own words, she “took it for granted”.

On the night in question, Duncan-Seenauth said, “I came out of my room. I had to pass all the shops to go to (the) birthday girl…I saw the two of them; they ask if they could drink something. I gave them $2000…is like they were haunted.”

According to the distraught woman, even after she had walked away from the ranks and was talking to a friend nearby, the two men continued to harass her for a “bless up”.

“They were begging me all over… Me alone, me alone they were begging…I don’t know if it is because they know me or what,” she said.

She disclosed that she snapped at the two ranks and continued to socialise with her friends, one of whom was celebrating her birthday.

Duncan-Seenauth told Guyana Chronicle that she was at a shop with her friends when she noticed one of the police ranks sitting in a dark corner looking at her, and a friend cautioned that she should be careful as “they were on us all week”.

“Every week, people got locked up on the landing for the whole week,” she recounted, while noting that as she was talking to a friend, the rank who was observing her closely came up to her and started talking in her ear.

‘BLACKED OUT’
“I told him I don’t want to hear anything, and by the time I light a cigarette, I got one bottle in my head. I blacked out. When I catch myself I was on the ground, spitting blood, head and skin swollen. I don’t know anything else about the beating.”

The woman said that when she regained consciousness, she observed the rank who had badly beaten her walking towards the Ekereku Police Station. Shortly after, she said, the other rank who is usually with him came and took her to the police station.

“I was very angry! I told them I don’t do anything illegal. I never violate y’all and I am not taking it like this!” the tearful woman said as she recounted her experience.

Duncan-Seenauth noted that when she was in the police station, the rank who had dealt her the blows was looking at the television and smiling as if nothing was wrong.

“No one took a report, and when I complained they said, ‘Shut you f****** mouth!’ I told them I was injured and he was smiling. I told him he was very cruel. I ain’t going to lie, I started to cuss them,” she told Guyana Chronicle. The angry woman said she was warned against the use of indecent language at the police station and she desisted from using it, but the ranks prevented her from having visitors.

She said she was beaten in front of many persons, who captured the incident on their cellphone cameras.

“They put me to sleep in the police station on a thin sponge with shackles on my feet… The next morning I asked them if I could leave and the corporal told me I could go to my room and clean myself up,” Duncan-Seenauth said. She travelled out of that Region Seven area late last week.

She declared that the police ranks are always looking to take money from persons working in the backdam.

‘ALWAYS WANT BLESS UP’
“It common yeah! They always want a ‘bless up’. I didn’t disrespect them in no kinda way. I didn’t deserve this. I can’t even wink…the swelling ain’t going down, I am in a lot of pain,” she said as she disclosed that similar treatment was meted out to a Venezuelan national, who was rescued by a miner and taken away from the area.

This traumatised mother, who has been working at Ekereku since the end of June 2016, said her only interest is in making money to provide for her children.

She disclosed that after recognising that she had been badly injured, the rank who had taken her to the police station after the beating approached her and apologised on behalf of his colleague.

She said, “They tried to comfort me…they beat me bad…the entire Ekereku was behind me…I told them I want them to pay for my ticket so I could go home. I didn’t have money and they asked me how much for my flight and I told them $18,000. They came back with $28,000.”

After receiving the money, the woman said, she packed her things and headed out of the area on the next flight.

“They telling me (to) consider that I have sons, and they will get older. The officer (rank) said he don’t know what ‘get to his head’ and I told them they can’t f*** me up in public and apologise to me in private,” Duncan-Seenauth said.

She declared that she intends to report the matter to the police on Tuesday.

The frustrated woman told Guyana Chronicle that she has no money to leave where she is currently to seek medical attention, but she revealed that she has spoken with Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, who contacted her and promised to pay for her to come to Georgetown on Tuesday.

Contacted on Sunday, Divisional Commander Ravindradat Budhram told Guyana Chronicle that he has received no official report on the beating, but committed to launching an investigation into the incident.

“I don’t have an official report,” he said, while admitting that he was told informally of a beating incident in the area.