Chief Justice orders release of Police Inspector jailed by Magistrate for misconduct in Court

The Attorney explained that the Inspector was never informed of the charge against him and was never given an opportunity to mitigate before sentencing. Attorney Lammy-Singh said the charge and sentencing were bad in law and excessive.

Chief Justice orders release of Police Inspector jailed by Magistrate for misconduct in Court

Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George-Wiltshire late this afternoon ordered the release of Police Inspector Prem Narine, who was sentenced to seven days in jail by a City Magistrate for misconduct in Court.

The Chief Justice’s decision was as a result of an application to the High Court by the Inspector’s Attorney, Everton Lammy Singh.

In an appearance before the Chief Justice, the Attorney argued that the seven-day sentence by Magistrate Rondel Weever was unjustified.

The Attorney explained that the Inspector was never informed of the charge against him and was never given an opportunity to mitigate before sentencing. Attorney Lammy-Singh said the charge and sentencing were bad in law and excessive.

The Chief Justice ordered that Inspector Narine be released from custody.

The Inspector found himself in some hot water this afternoon in the Courtroom of Magistrate Weever, when the two got into a back and forth argument over the way the Magistrate was addressing him.

The Magistrate reportedly became frustrated as the Police Inspector repeatedly asked to see his written statement to refresh his memory while on the witness stand providing evidence in a fraud case.

When the Magistrate discontinued the provision of the statement to the Inspector and allegedly raised her voice at him, he became upset and told the Magistrate that he does not appreciate how she has been speaking to him.

The two got into an argument in front of the accused and a number of Attorneys and when the Magistrate told the Inspector to leave the stand and take a seat, he reportedly started to walk out of the Courtroom instead.

He was stopped by the Magistrate who told him that she was now citing him for contempt. She instructed a Police officer to arrest the Inspector, but the Inspector raised his voice as he told the Magistrate that he was not going to allow himself to be arrested by a junior rank.

He was eventually held by the Police as the Magistrate sentenced him to seven days in jail. She would later adjust the charge against him to misconduct in Court.

The Inspector did not spend any time behind bars, as he was taken to a private hospital after complaining of feeling unwell. He remains a patient of the hospital.

Three years ago, the same Police Inspector was named “Best Cop” in the Guyana Police Force.

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