Self-confessed death squad member, Sean Hinds refusing to cooperate, says police

Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 July 2015, 0:23 by GxMedia

Self-confessed death squad member Sean Hinds was Monday still in police custody, hours after he surrendered in the company of his lawyer, but he is refusing to cooperate.

“So far he is not cooperating with the police as a number of questions have been put to him in the presence of his Lawyer and his consistent response has been that he has nothing to say, based on advice of his Lawyer,” said the Guyana Police Force in a statement.

Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum and the suspect’s lawyer, Nigel Hughes, said the man was still in custody.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has said that Hinds was seen near his private residence at Liliendaal/ North Sophia at about 8 PM on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. Appearing on HGPTV News on Monday evening, Hinds denied Nagamootoo’s claims and having any interest in the veteran politician.

Police have said that Hinds was merely wanted for a “serious crime” but not the gunning down of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing on March 10, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Although Hinds had provided security services to the now main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and then Town Clerk Carol Sooba, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee earlier Monday distanced his party from the self-confessed death squad member.

While Hinds has confessed that he was a death squad member that had received instructions and guns from the CID to go after heavily armed criminals between 2002 and 2006, he has not admitted to killing anyone specifically.

He has claimed to have been nearby Ronald Waddell’s home at Subryanville, East Coast Demerara when two other named policemen at the time emerged in a car from Sheriff Street. Moments later, Waddell was gunned down.

Hinds did not specifically state that the policemen shot dead Waddell.