Barrow defends controversial arrests by police

Another issue that was a hot topic of discussion at today’s House meeting was the Labor Day weekend armed robbery and murder near Roaring River on the Hummingbird Highway. Attorney General Dean Barrow stuck by the controversial decision of the police to arrest and charge Alfonso Teul and Eluterio Vasquez in connection with the May second incident, despite the fact that several witnesses have now come forward to say that the two men were on an orange farm in the Stann Creek Valley during the robbery. Barrow says the evidence against Vasquez and Teul is so strong that the idea of withdrawing the charges at this time is totally out of the question and that it is for the court to now decide the fate of the two suspects.

Dean Barrow, Attorney General

“The evidence of the witnesses who have identified these people is strong, credible evidence. The fact that they were able to identify the people twice, both by way of looking at photographs and by way of physical identification parade, that fact make it clear to me that there is no way the police can prefer the alibi evidence that is coming rather late in the day to the evidence of the witnesses which evidence, include evidence from two of the actual victims on the scene at the time, who claim to have seen at least one of the two person identified when that person’s mask feel. I’ve looked at the law because clearly I wouldn’t want to see innocent persons prosecuted either and there is a history of alibis being manufactured. I think what made this situation a little different is the number of persons that apparently are prepared to support what they are alleging is the alibi of the two accused persons.”

Q: “There are people who would be prepared to second guess the police now that these witnesses have suddenly, as the Commissioner said, surfaced. What would you say to those people?”

Dean Barrow

“That in fact, while the police have not released the names of the witnesses, who identified these people for obvious reason, they’ve done everything else that they could do to assure the public that they acted proper, the police, and that they have the right people. The witnesses on the identification parade, by two justices of the peace who can therefore swear that the witnesses picked these people out of a lineup entirely unprompted by the police, to my mind is conclusive.

All of us, I think we need to suspend judgement until the courts can be ceased of this issue.”