…statement by main witness into Lindo Creek killing disappeared

RECORDS presented to the Commission investigating the Lindo Creek Massacre showed that ex-member of the Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins’ gang, Dwayne Williams, made no reference to Lindo Creek while at the Ituni Police Station when he was arrested, as was told by retired Colonel of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Fitzroy Warde.

When the retired army officer appeared before the Justice Donald Trotman-led Commission on Monday at the CoI Secretariat in Georgetown, he disclosed that Williams, who was 15 years old at the time, in a caution statement at the Ituni Police Station on June 16, 2008, said that he witnessed the murder of eight miners at Lindo Creek by Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins, in addition to other massacres.

“Williams confessed of being a member of the Rondell Rawlins’ gang and gave several accounts of the gang’s activities, that included the Luisgnan Massacre, the Bartica Massacre, the Christmas Falls shootout with the Police, and the killing of men at a mining camp,” the retired Colonel told the commission. Warde, who at the time was the Task Force Commander for the Joint Services Operations in Kwakwani, Christmas Falls, Goat Farm and the UNAMCO areas, under the umbrella of Operations Restore Order, said he was present when the caution statement was taken from Williams.

But on Tuesday, records from the Ituni Police Station presented to the Commission by Deputy Superintendent of Police Gary McAllister, revealed that on June 16, 2008, Williams made no statement about miners being killed by “Fineman.”
McAllister, who has been a detective for the past 26 years and is now stationed at the Brickdam Police Station, said during the period April 26, 2018 and April 30, 2018, he was mandated to conduct physical checks at the Ituni, Kwakwani, Mackenzie and Wismar Police Stations, in addition to the ‘E and F’ headquarters, for records covering the month of June, 2008.

Fielding questions from the Commission’s Legal Counsel Patrice Henry, the deputy superintendent disclosed that while at the Ituni Police Station in Region 10, he checked for the station diary and crime book to determine if there was any record of eight miners being killed at Lindo Creek and found nothing.

The Ituni Station Diary dated April 29, 2008 to August 15, 2008 was presented to the deputy superintendent by Henry, and in response, told the Commission that he recognised the book.

Henry then asked the detective to turn to the page dated June 16, 2008. McAllister complied while explaining that there were three classifications: Checks made, Arrest made, and SO and Constable left. Henry questioned whether there was an indication of a caution statement being taken on that date, and was told no. However, he disclosed that Williams, who was identified as a teenager from the Vigilance Squatting Area, was arrested by Constable Morrison for alleged possession of firearm and other offences. The record showed that Williams departed for Georgetown via a GDF helicopter at 17:45h with Constable Morrison.

The deputy superintendent was then asked to turn his attention to the Ituni Police Station Occurrence Book, dated February 25, 2006 to April 9, 2009 and which he had retrieved from station. McAllister was then asked to check to see if there were any occurrences recorded for June 16, 2008 and responded in the negative. “I haven’t seen any for the 16th June, 2008,” he told the commission.

Over at the Kwakwani Police Station, which is located several miles away from Lindo Creek, the Deputy Superintendent said he found a Crime Book dated January 12, 2007 to September 9, 2013. On Page 7 of that book, Entry No. 2, McAllister said there exists a record of the murder of eight men during the month of June, 2008. He stated that the mass murder was reported on June 21, 2008 by George (Leonard) Arokium; however, the entry was made on July 3, 2008. Dax Arokium, Cedric Arokium, Bonny Harry, Lancelot Lee, Horace Drakes, Compton Speirs, Clifton Wong and Nigel Torres, were the miners identified by Mr. Arokium to have been murdered.

In keeping with his line of questioning, Henry then asked the detective to review the documents to determine if any report was made of a similar crime on June 16, 2008. According to Deputy Superintendent McAllister, the checks made at the Mackenzie Police Station, the Wismar Police Station, the Wisroc Outpost, the Mackenzie Police Station and the “E and F” headquarters revealed that there was no record of the mass murder or any relating information.

When Roysdale Forde, the attorney representing the interest of GDF in the matter along with attorney Leslie Sobers, took the floor he put forward a similar line of questioning, however, he asked McAllister to locate the dates June 5 and June 6, 2008 within the Kwakwani Crime Book.

When McAllister checked both the Crime Book and Station Diary from that station for the period reuested, he found nothing. It was on June 5, 2008 that a party of police officers led by the then Crime Chief Seelall Persaud, went into Christmas Falls. On June 6, 2008 at Christmas Falls, the police were engaged in a gun battle with the notorious ‘Fineman’ resulting in one of the criminals being shot dead. Christmas Falls is within the Upper Berbice River, Region 10 and the Kwakwakni Station is within close proximity when compared to other stations. Notably, the majority of the team had journeyed from the Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.

Forde while turning the Commission’s attention back to Page 7 of the Kwakwani Crime Book, questioned McAllister on whether entries are made in a sequential manner. Though the deputy superintendent said that is usually the case, he agreed with Forde that the entries made in the Kwakwani Crime Book based on the record at Page 7, did not occur within a sequential manner.

As Forde attempted to prove his case that reports were not recorded in a sequential manner by the police, Commissioner Trotman intervened; stating that McAllister was being crossed examined and grilled on documents that he did not prepare. In the words of Justice Trotman such a move was “unfair.”

In response, Forde said: “I am asking him about entries that are in the book and the sequence of entries that are in the book, and the sequence of entries that relate to the very substantive issue…” He then questioned the credibility of the crime book on the basis that reports were not recorded in a sequential manner.
But the commissioner held fast to his position.
Meanwhile, when Sergeant Rodwell Sarabo – a detective who worked closely with the Lindo Creek Massacre Investigation – reappeared before the commission on Tuesday, he disclosed that when Williams was arrested by Constable Morrison, the teen made an oral statement while being cautioned. Williams reportedly told Constable Morrison that he was there when ‘the police shoot-up them boys on Christmas Falls’. No mention, however, was made of Lindo Creek at the time.

However , On Monday, the detective explained that it was not until July 4, 2008 that Williams gave another statement this time implicating himself and the Fineman Gang of committing the mass murder. That statement was made after the discovery was made, and according to Sarabo it did not include anything about a hammer being used.