“I’m so humiliated”

…teen breaks silence on sexual assault at Ogle

The 17-year-old girl who was reportedly sexually assaulted during a strip search by a female Police Officer at the Eugene F Correia Airport on February 25, 2018 has finally broken her silence on the matter.
During a phone interview on Tuesday with Guyana Times International, the teenager, who is currently in Barbados, said even though she was assaulted by the rank, no official from the Government or the Guyana Police Force has contacted her or any family members to hear her side of the story or to conduct further investigations.
“Nobody contacted me so far, not even to say whether they are investigating the matter or anything, I’m so humiliated about this and I hope that no other teenager has to go through this kind of trauma.”
She noted that she was hoping that she got some form of justice for the incident that occurred on the morning of February 25 as she was about to depart Guyana for Barbados.
The teenager reiterated the ordeal she endured, saying her vacation was “troubled” as a result of the incident. She further told this newspaper that her family was awaiting legal advice on the way forward.
Meanwhile, the female officer at the centre of the alleged issue has since denied committing the act.
“A statement has been obtained from the female rank (implicated in the allegation), who has denied to have done a cavity search of the passenger,” the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has since said.
The Force also confirmed that the rank was attached to its Narcotics Branch.
An investigation into the matter has since been launched by the GPF’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
It was reported that the teen, who was on her way to visit relatives, was allegedly subjected to a “strip search” by officers at the airport, before being placed in a room where a female officer allegedly inserted her finger in the girl’s private parts. The law enforcement rank had reportedly asked the teen to “spread out and cough”.
Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Head, Michael Atherly, had initially condemned the act, telling this publication on Sunday afternoon that the search done on the teenager had been improperly carried out.
“…the officers had a right to take the person to the hospital and have a certified doctor carry out that search. The action that was taken was incorrect, and they had no right (to do what they had allegedly done),” Atherly had stated.
If the Policewoman is found culpable, she stands to be demoted, fined, or dismissed from the GPF.
Last month, while addressing the Annual Police Officers Conference, President David Granger had stated that the practice of transferring and demoting rogue elements would not end rogue behaviour in the GPF.