– GPF says 17-year-old was alone in cell with lighter when shirt caught fire

THE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is investigating the alleged torture inflicted on a 17-year-old while in custody at the Vigilance Police Station, according to the police force’s Corporate Communications Unit (CCU).

According to a release, 17-year-old Johiem Peters, a resident of Annandale, East Coast Demerara has accused a Guyana Police Force (GPF) rank stationed at the Vigilance Police Station of torturing him, thereby causing him grievous bodily harm while he was in custody of the police force on Sunday.

However, reports indicate that the teen told the police officers that he was playing with the lighter when his jersey caught fire, but the teenager’s father has alleged police brutality. The boy, whom the police said is a fisherman, was arrested for alleged armed robbery. In a video released by the family, the teen later claimed he was set on fire by police ranks.

The investigation, the CCU stated, has so far shown that on July 10, 2022, around 10:30hrs, Peters was arrested pending an investigation into an allegation of an alleged robbery under arms in which he was recognized as one of the attackers and was assisting the police with the investigation.

Peters told investigators that while he was detained, two of his friends —names withheld—were also brought into custody.

They were sitting on the prisoner’s bench in front of the lockups with another male detainee when Peters asked one of them for a cigarette lighter, and his friend gave him a lighter.

The police indicated that the other prisoner admitted to seeing when Peters’ friend gave him the cigarette lighter, but claimed that he heard Peters screaming only while he was alone in the cell.

It is alleged that the police officer on duty at the Vigilance Police Station rushed to the cell and removed Peters while his shirt was still on fire.

Police reports note that Peters, whom the EMTs subsequently questioned, claimed that he had been smoking in the lockups when he slept off and the cigarette had caught on his shirt.

Even as the investigation continues, the force disclosed that two other civilian witnesses informed the investigators that they had heard Peters screaming from his cell while they were at the station and that when the police officer on duty took him outside, they saw fire on his shirt.