Police officers cleared of obstructing justice charges in Quindon Bacchus case

Two members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) charged with attempting to obstruct justice in the investigation into the killing of Quindon Bacchus were cleared on Monday after a magistrate upheld no-case submissions against them.

Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore dismissed the charges against Cadet Officer Dameion McLennon and Lance Corporal Thurston Simon at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence to require the officers to answer the allegations.

McLennon and Simon had been accused of providing false information during the probe into the fatal shooting of Bacchus on 10 June 2022. Bacchus was a 23-year-old father of one from Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara. Both officers had been on cash bail pending the outcome of the proceedings. McLennon was represented by attorney Bernard DaSilva, while Simon was represented by attorney Glenn Hanoman.

The decision follows a recent ruling in related proceedings at the Demerara High Court, where Justice Gino Persaud last month upheld a no-case submission in the murder trial of Police Lance Corporal Kristoff De Nobrega. De Nobrega, who had been charged with Bacchus’s murder, was formally acquitted after the judge found that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence to support the charge and directed the jury to return a not-guilty verdict.

De Nobrega had been committed to stand trial following a preliminary inquiry last year, during which a magistrate determined that there was sufficient evidence for the matter to proceed to the Demerara Criminal Assizes.

According to police accounts, the fatal incident occurred during an intelligence-led operation at Haslington, East Coast Demerara, at approximately 14:30 hours on 10 June 2022. Police reported that a 22-year-old construction worker led officers to Bacchus, who was alleged to be in possession of a firearm and planning to sell it to an undercover officer. During the encounter, Bacchus was said to have fired at the officer and was shot in return.

Police stated that a .380 pistol with one live round, along with spent shells, was recovered at the scene. Bacchus was later pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

Following a review of the matter, the Police Complaints Authority recommended on 3 July 2022 that charges be laid against McLennon and Simon. The Director of Public Prosecutions subsequently advised that the charges be instituted. De Nobrega was separately charged with murder in connection with the incident.

In a separate civil case arising from the same matter, Justice Nigel Niles ruled in 2024 that the State was liable for Bacchus’s unlawful killing and ordered the payment of GY$24 million in damages to his mother.

The criminal proceedings have now concluded with the dismissal of all charges against the police ranks involved.