Almost two months after Lance Corporal Clifton Pellew was charged for raping a 15-year-old boy while he was in custody, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly found that there was sufficient evidence for him to stand trial before a Judge and jury at the High Court.
Following his committal, Pellew was granted bail in the sum of G$500,000 pending the High Court trial.
The City Constable was charged back in February with the indictable offence, which alleged that on August 15, 2017, at the Constabulary Outpost at City Hall, he engaged in sexual activity with the minor.
According to reports, the incident had occurred when the then 15-year-old boy was taken into custody for wandering.
At some point during his detention, the minor was reportedly transferred to the Regent Street Outpost, where the alleged incident occurred.
It was only after allegations made its way into the public domain that City Hall acted.
In the aftermath of the public allegation, Pellew and another officer, Corporal Quacy Baveghems, were sent on leave pending the outcome of the matter.
There were also accusations that authorities at City Hall have been trying to cover up the issue, with calls being made by rights activists for actions to be taken against the Mayor and Town Clerk.
However, as an investigation began into the matter, it was discovered that Baveghems did not make a written entry of the incident in the station’s diary.
Pellew and Baveghems were fired, after receiving a letter signed by the Town Clerk. Mayor Chase Green had said the decision to dismiss the officers came following the discovery of new evidence.
Following protests by activists in Guyana and calls for Pellew to face the courts for his crime, the matter was handed over to the Police who sought legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
