Detainee confesses to burning down Brickdam Police Station

Last Updated on Sunday, 3 October 2021, 12:14 by Denis Chabrol

A mere few hours after President Irfaan Ali strongly suggested that the burning down  of the Brickdam Police Station might be politically inspired, the Guyana Police Force said one of the 16 detainees confessed to setting the wooden  heritage building alight.

The President earlier Sunday sought to link the blaze to utterances in the United States. He did not name anyone specifically. He had said he would ask for international help to assist with the probe.

Dr Ali has also scorched the fire service for its poor response to the fire.

Following is the full statement by the Guyana Police Force.

The Guyana Police Force is sparing no effort as it continues the investigation into yesterday’s devastating fire which destroyed the Brickdam Police Station complex in Georgetown. As the investigations continue, investigators have managed to get a confession (on video) from a prisoner – Clarence Greene, an unemployed 26 year-old of lot 2292 Princess Street Lodge.
Greene, who was arrested early on Saturday morning (October 2nd, 2021) and placed in the Brickdam lockups for an alleged Robbery Under Arms, told investigators during his confession that his motive for starting the fire was due to him being detained for a couple of hours and he became frustrated.

Following the fire on Saturday, the prisoners who were in the Brickdam lockups, were questioned and two of them, Renhold Charles and Akeem Green alias ‘Buxton’, claimed that after the fire was seen and they were taken out of the cells by Cpl George and escorted to the Sparendaam Police Station, they were placed in a cell with Clarence Greene.

Renhold Charles, a 29-year-old is a Technician of lot 83 Duke Street, Kingston while Akeem Hatton called ‘Buxton’, a 29-year-old is said to be a clothes vendor of lot 15v Lodge Housing Scheme.

The duo said Green told them that he took a piece of sponge, wrapped it up on a piece of wire which he lit and pushed it through a ventilation hole in the cell over to a part that had some documents and it catch afire.

Following this revelation, Clarence was then video interviewed/questioned by detectives during which he ‘confessed’ and claimed that Renhold Charles was actually the one who gave him a piece of wire to help him start the fire.

Clarence told investigators that he then tore off a piece of sponge from a mattress in the cell that he was in, hooked it on the wire and lit same with a cigarette lighter which he then pushed through a ventilation hole in the cell at Brickdam.
Investigations continue.