Major Inconsistencies
by Ras Mandela Maloney
Sergeant Wingrove Headley in Locus at Landlock, Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris looks on
In the original 99-page report, Sergeant Headley and Constable Walkes appeared to be the first and only response to the call of drug activity. Harvey’s inquiry purported that there were only two officers on the entire expanse of Cove Bay, Little Bay and the Turntable.
However, there were at least nine officers in the vicinity at the time of the incident (754 Willoughby, 993 Reece, 1399 Dottin, 1548 Ellis, 1746 Freeman, 1044 Crichlow, 676 Seale, 1247 Grazettes and 1621 Headley) that could not validate Headley’s and Walkes’ account.
The Justice Committee expressed concern with the police investigating themselves, particularly those that work in the same island and would therefore have reason to interact with each other on a daily basis.
Coincidentally, ASP Harvey (investigating officer) and 455 Headley (leading first response officer) are both garrisoned at the
Holetown Police Station!
As a result of the police investigating themselves, the lack of consensus among testimonies during the inquest present
a major cause for concern.
For example, the first response officers claimed that when they arrived at the scene they observed a disturbed looking person pacing up and down for some time. On the contrary, the police informant witnessed the police approach a rastaman sitting some feet away from the edge of the cliff.
ASP Harvey (investigating officer) sought to mitigate his deficient report by claiming that whilst he was overseas someone had submitted his findings before they were complete.
However, from as early as July 26 (1 month after the incident) in the Nation Newspaper ASP Harvey had admonished the idea of a lengthy investigation by contending that “people can have their own opinion and say what they want. I will be concluding this investigation very soon.”
Subsequently, police maliciously publicised in the Nation Newspaper on the 1st of August that “I’Akobi was not the focus of investigations” and they “had merely came upon him on the cliff”.
However, it was Anthony Collymore’s phone call of a suspicious rastaman and a white boat at sea which generated the “speedy” police response.
Although I’Akobi’s bosses expressed shock at his resignation, his decision to resign was in no way impetuous. In fact, I’Akobi reasoned with his family as well as fellow graduates about his prospective.
I’Akobi was not a swimmer. Headley’s assertion that I’Akobi’s attire of boxer shorts could be indicative that he swam out to collect drugs is unmerited.
The police allegedly coerced a witness (Shon Boyce) into testifying that I’Akobi’s supervisor was a homosexual and was subsequently in a relationship with him.