The Value of the Sacrifice Made by Danny Conorquie

Danny Conorquie

In October 2014, when asked about compensation which would be paid to the family of slain tourism police officer Danny Conorquie, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said that it would reflect, in his words, the tremendous value of the sacrifice made by Conorquie. Well today, we can confirm that the dollar value of that sacrifice is somewhere in the region of ten thousand dollars.

Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary

“We did make some payment; I don’t have the exact figure, again as a goodwill gesture. He was a Tourism Police as I understand it, and there were certain benefits that should have been paid due to the death, and above that I think the government paid ten thousand dollars, but I’m not sure. I think the government paid something toward the family, with more to come. But I really don’t have the figure in front of me, but I’m pretty sure we paid something. Indeed the legal payments, when somebody dies in harness, is very small, depending on the category, but above that the government has committed to make a payment. I have no instructions yet on how to make the payment. I think we did something and I will check when I get back to my desk.”

Conorquie’s murder at the Caracol Archeological Site caused a huge public outrage because it was believed that it was carried out by Guatemalans, whose horses were confiscated prior to his execution.