Sixty-year-old testifies of police assault on GPSU office -says Fraser pointed gun at her Stabroek News September 28, 1999 A 60-year-old woman yesterday testified before the enquiry into events during the public service strike that a lone policeman had fired on the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Hall late one night, shortly before three cops forced their way into the building. According to Joan Adams, the shot precipitated an assault on her person by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Leon Fraser. The officer was one of three policemen who allegedly forced their way into the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Hall on July 15. The sexagenarian testified that the assault, during which Fraser was alleged to have aimed a gun at her, grabbed her by her shirt and pushed her out of the GPSU building and into the street, resulted in injuries which confined her to bed for two weeks. Adams' testimony came yesterday as Commissioner, Justice Carl Singh turned his attention to the last item on the Commission of Enquiry's terms of reference - namely the alleged forced entry by the Police of the GPSU Hall on July 15. The witness, led by counsel to the Commission, Mortimer Cumberbatch, identified herself as a charwoman employed at Richard Ishmael Secondary School who had been one of about 11 others keeping vigil at the GPSU Hall on the night in question. According to Adams, they had originally been sitting downstairs but had later gone upstairs after (GPSU President) Patrick Yarde had left the building at around 2230 hrs. Adams said that before going upstairs, they had drawn the single bolt across the GPSU front door and so locked the main entrance to the building. She further testified that she had taken up a position looking out onto Regent Street when she heard gunshots. According to Adams, she exclaimed to two young men who had been keeping vigil with her "you hear gunshots". She said that she decided to move from the window but first paused to look through when she saw a uniformed policeman with a gun in his hand. Adams alleged that the policeman, whom she could only describe as of medium height and thin, aimed the weapon at the GPSU building and fired a single shot. At the time, the policeman was said to have been standing on Regent Street outside R.K's Security Service owned by Roshan Khan. Adams said that after the shot, she and the two young men had run away from the window. She said that her flight took her to the GPSU washroom where she and two others locked themselves in while about five other persons who had been in the building barricaded themselves in the neighbouring washroom. The woman said that she suddenly heard a noise after which she heard a slamming sound to the door of the washroom as if someone had kicked it. The woman said that the door was pushed open and she saw three "black clothes" policemen, Fraser among them, whom she said she recognised on sight. At the enquiry, Adams pointed out Fraser. Returning to the testimony of that night, Adams said that Fraser had had a gun in his hand and had pointed it at her even as she was asking "Mr Fraser, what we do, Mr Fraser, what we do?" Adams testified that Fraser then grabbed her by her shirt and tossed her to the wall by the toilet at which point she said she soiled herself. Fraser was then said to have accused those in the building of pelting missiles at Roshan Khan's building after which he directed the two officers to bring out the other two persons in the washroom. According to Adams, she was about to move when Fraser said "stay your s**** right there". Shortly after that, Adams said that the two police officers had gotten the two boys out, whereupon she was pushed from the washroom all the way out into the street. The witness said that a police vehicle had been parked in New Garden street and that the officer had ordered her to get into this vehicle. She said that the two boys complied but that she told him that she could not climb into the vehicle. At that point, she said she saw a Mr Carl, who works with the GPSU, approaching and she called out to him "Mr Carl, tell these men that I keep vigil here". Mr Carl was said to have vouched for her to the police officers, at which point they drove away with the two boys, leaving her on the road. The woman testified that after the incident she had discovered that her purse, which had been in her bosom was missing. It was said to have contained G$5,000 and US$20. She further reported that she had been injured as a result but, although Yarde had sent her to Prasad's Hospital where she had been treated, they had refused to give her a medical certificate. Under cross-examination by De Santos, who is representing the police in this enquiry, the witness refuted his suggestion that her story was not true. Adams maintained that she was telling the truth and questioned why she would lie on Fraser. The witness did not deign to answer De Santos' second suggestion that Fraser had never had any incident with her. When asked to describe the other two officers who had accompanied Fraser, the witness could not do this except to say that they had been tall. De Santos also questioned Adams about the treatment she had received for the injuries she was supposed to have suffered and the witness reported that she only sought treatment the following day. She also disclosed that while she had been treated at both the Georgetown Hospital and Prasad's, neither institution had given her a medical certificate. The senior counsel sought to question the woman as to how she had acquired the money since she was on strike but Justice Singh refused to allow it and, over Adams's muttered responses, directed her not to answer. De Santos also questioned Adams as to the number of gunshots she had heard, whereupon Adams disclosed that she had heard one gunshot whilst by the window and a second one that had been caused by the Police. De Santos also had the woman testify that she had not reported the incident to the police and that her statement to the Commission was her first and only such statement written on the matter. De Santos then left the floor open to Rex McKay, SC who indicated that he would be appearing as counsel for the union. McKay led the woman to testify that on the night of the alleged assault, she had told the same story she told in court to members of the electronic media. He also questioned whether in any previous meeting with Fraser, whether she (Adams) had had any quarrel with the officers. Adams firmly denied this at which point McKay rested. Cumberbatch declined cross-examination and, after consultations with both De Santos and McKay, Justice Singh ruled that court would be adjourned until tomorrow. The court is expected to hear the police response to the incident which should include testimony from Fraser himself and one other person. A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples