475 / 494
474
Adverse Comments re: SSP Winchroy Budhoo
14.148.
On 22 March 2016, the Commission referred a draft of para.14.143
as a “proposed adverse comment” to SSP Winchroy Budhoo for his response
thereto in accordance with the provisions of the 2013 amendment to the
Commission of Enquiry Act. We received his response on 5 April 2016. It
appears at Appendix AC14 to the Report.
Summary of Response by SSP Budhoo
14.149.
(i)
SSP Budhoo objected to our proposed description of his
evidence as “worthless”.
(ii)
He asserts that we do not appreciate his role on 24 May and
the fact that he was testifying about information which he
had received from other officers.
(iii)
He corrected his witness statement during the Enquiry after
DSP Turner and Sgt. Waugh had spoken with him during the
currency of the Enquiry.
(iv)
He made the corrections to ensure that he spoke the truth
on oath.
Commission’s Comments and Findings
14.150.
Save that we describe SSP Budhoo’s evidence as
“unreliable and unhelpful”, we are not persuaded to alter the terms of
para.14.143. However, we wish to make the following additional
observation.
14.151.
What is clear from SSP Budhoo’s evidence and his response
to our Notice is that when he gave a written statement in June 2010,
he did not read over his statement to determine its correctness before
signing it. During his testimony, SSP Budhoo admitted giving the