Former Police Commissioner Rawlston Pompey Disputes Police Claim That Inquest Was Held Into Creekside Murders
Former Commissioner of Police Rawlston Pompey has sharply criticized the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda over its announcement that an inquest was held into the deaths of two Creekside murder victims, arguing that the police have confused a procedural viewing of the bodies with a formal coroner’s inquest.
Pompey challenged a statement issued Wednesday by the police Office of Strategic Communications (STRATCOM), which reported that an inquest was held Tuesday, October 27, into the deaths of 49-year-old Rennie George and 18-year-old Yejide Christian.
The two were fatally shot in Creekside on October 20.
According to the police release, the proceedings began at approximately 8:30 a.m. and were presided over by Chief Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel in the presence of a seven-member jury.
However, Pompey rejected the police description of the proceedings.
“That no inquest was held,” he declared, directing his criticism particularly at Assistant Superintendent of Police Frankie Thomas, whom he identified as head of STRATCOM.
Citing the Coroners Act, Chapter 105, Pompey argued that police had failed to distinguish between the viewing of a deceased person’s body and a formal inquest conducted in a courtroom.
He maintained that the procedure involving the coroner and a jury viewing the bodies before a post-mortem examination should not be described as a completed inquest.
Pompey also questioned the police reference to a seven-member jury, arguing that the relevant procedure involves a five-member jury.
The former commissioner further contended that formal coroner’s inquests are not conducted in cases where murder is already reasonably suspected, distinguishing such circumstances from sudden deaths in which the cause remains unknown.
“Inquests are never held in reasonably suspected cases of murder,” Pompey asserted.
He said the procedure he believed had taken place was intended to allow the pathologist to conduct post-mortem examinations and establish the medical causes of death to assist criminal investigators.
Pompey accused the police communications unit of demonstrating a lack of understanding of the legal and procedural requirements governing death investigations.
He described the statement as an embarrassment to the police service, Commissioner of Police Everton Jeffers and members of the Criminal Investigations Department.
The former commissioner also suggested that personnel changes within the communications unit could prevent similar mistakes.
The police statement did not disclose any findings or verdict arising from the proceedings. It said investigations into the double homicide remained active, with officers continuing efforts to establish the circumstances of the killings and identify those responsible.
Police also renewed their appeal for anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.
Pompey’s criticism raises questions about the precise nature of Tuesday’s proceedings and whether the police accurately characterized them in their public statement.
His interpretation of the Coroners Act and his assertion that no formal inquest occurred have not been independently established. The police release did not address the procedural distinctions raised by the former commissioner.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: No Inquest Was Held, Pompey says.