-family seeks meeting with AG
AN unstable Regan ‘Grey Boy’ Rodrigues remains in police custody at the Diamond Police Station, East Bank Demerara (EBD), even though he was acquitted three times for the murder of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing, who was gunned down on March 10, 2015.
On Wednesday, city magistrate Judy Latchman upheld the decision she made at the end of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) on June 5, 2017, when she discharged the case against Rodrigues on the ground that there is insufficient evidence to commit him to the High Court. The magistrate went against a directive issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, who instructed that the case be sent to a judge and jury.

Rodrigues has been in police custody since April 14, 2017; after being told of his freedom on Wednesday, he was taken to the Brickdam Police Station, Georgetown, under the pretext that he had to sign documents for his release; however, upon his arrival there, Rodrigues was shackled and transported to the Diamond Police Station, much to his surprise and that of his family. He was informed that he will be kept in police custody for the next 72 hours.
On Thursday, his relatives visited the office of Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC, to seek an audience. However, they were told that the minister was not available.

The relatives had told the Guyana Chronicle that Rodrigues is frustrated with the “back and forth” and does not understand why he remains in police custody. According to the relatives, the 40-year-old of Riverview, Georgetown, has threatened to kill himself while in custody at the Diamond lock-ups.
When contacted by this newspaper on Thursday, ‘A’ Division Commander, Marlon Chapman, confirmed that Rodrigues is still in police custody. However, he was unable to explain on what grounds the former murder accused is being held.

“All I know it is concerning an issue at the court,” the police commander explained. The Guyana Chronicle also contacted Public Relations Officer of the DPP’s office, Liz Rahaman, for further clarification on the issue, but she referred all questions to Special Prosecutor, Nigel Hughes; several calls to Hughes’s phone went unanswered.
The DPP, Shalimar Ali-Hack, had instructed Magistrate Latchman via a letter, to commit Rodrigues to stand trial in the High Court. However, on Wednesday, despite the objection raised by the DPP, the magistrate dismissed the charge again and told Rodrigues that he was free to go.

Magistrate Latchman dismissed the case on the ground that there is insufficient evidence against him. In her ruling, the magistrate said that while she was satisfied that the gun which was used to shoot Crum-Ewing was found at the home of the accused, the evidence offered by the prosecution did not implicate Rodrigues in the actual murder.
In relation to the 14 oral statements made by Rodrigues, which were admitted into evidence, the magistrate said they did not implicate him in the murder and there is no evidence that Rodrigues used the gun, pulled the trigger and shot Crum-Ewing.

But in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle earlier this week, the special prosecutor said that in one of Rodrigues’s oral statements, there is sufficient evidence that he has knowledge of the murder.
According to Hughes, when Rodrigues was first arrested by the police at his home in River View, Ruimveldt, he had said to the ranks: “Officer, yuh can’t arrest me with this gun, this gun used to do nuff thing.”
As such, Hughes emphasised that based on this statement by Rodrigues, it shows that the accused had knowledge of the crime and what the gun was used to do. Additionally, Hughes, who is a prominent attorney, told this newspaper the fact that the murder weapon was found in the home of the accused, shows that there is sufficient evidence for the matter to be committed to the High Court.

In September 2016, Rodrigues was freed of the murder charge by Magistrate Latchman, due to the lack of evidence. The office of the DPP decided to re-open the case for further evidence from police witnesses and for the magistrate to rule on the oral statements made by Rodrigues.
The bullet-riddled body of Crum-Ewing was found at Third Avenue, Diamond New Scheme, EBD, on March 10, 2015. The 40-year-old was shot twice to the temple, once to the back of the head and twice to the stomach.

The police in a statement had stated that the political activist was accosted by four men in a car, one of whom discharged several rounds, hitting him about the body. It was reported that the killer (s) used a .32 pistol to execute Crum-Ewing.
The political activist was well known for his one-man protest outside the office of former Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall. Minutes before he was gunned down, he was reportedly heard via a bullhorn urging residents of the neighbourhood to vote against the then ruling PPP/C party.