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SSP Graham
11.139.
SSP Graham was in charge of the command post at Seprod. He
said that, on 24 May, CoP Ellington telephoned him and informed him of reports
of dead bodies being seen in Tivoli Gardens. He also received a similar report
from SSP Budhoo. But it was not until about 2.00 p.m. on 25 May that
SSP Graham visited the community. He saw a man who had been shot lying on
a handcart. He learnt that the man had died on his way to hospital. There was
no evidence that SSP Graham gave any instructions relative to recording the
location, establishing a crime scene or having the body removed. SSP Graham
said that he also saw about twenty bodies in a truck driven by Sgt. Waugh. He
instructed Sgt. Waugh to take the bodies to KPH and, thereafter, to Madden’s.
There is no evidence that he instructed that the locations of the bodies be
marked as potential crime scenes.
FINDINGS
11.140
We find that, as the most senior Ground Commander of the
JCF, SSP Graham did not ensure that a record was made of the
locations of bodies nor did he take any action to determine whether his
instructions were carried out on matters of vital importance to an
investigation and concerning losses of life. Accordingly, we find
SSP Graham to have been in dereliction of his duties.
11.141.
To the extent that SSP Graham described himself as “the
senior person leading the men and women under my command”, he
must be held accountable for the deficiencies in record-keeping in
relation to the locations of dead bodies. He admitted that he received
reports from SSP Budhoo about dead bodies being seen in the
community. And, according to CoP Ellington, he telephoned
SSP Graham in connection with the same matter.