‘Editor’ for online outlet detained for posting video of murdered doctor, staff

The Guyana Police Force has confirmed that the ‘Editor’ of an online outlet has been detained for questioning in relation to videos posted on Facebook showing the late Dr. Colin Roach and his staff in a private gathering while he was alive.

The News Room had reported the suspicion of one of the staff members, captured in the videos, that it may have been police investigators who leaked the videos which were in the phone of another staffer who was in their custody.

The police have not responded to those claims.

On Saturday last, the shady online outlet posted two videos to their Facebook page – one which included Dr. Roach was subsequently removed – but another video that showed his staff enjoying a private moment was not removed despite several urgings from the affected parties. This second video does not include Dr Roach in it but the online outlet inaccurately described Dr Roach as being in the video.

It should be noted that the online outlet is not recognised by the Guyana Press Association (GPA) and their employees were not issued press passes.

An employee of the well-accomplished Dr. Roach is convinced that police investigators are behind the leaking of a video of his private moments which has since attracted countless comments demeaning the late doctor.

Speaking to the News Room under the condition of anonymity on Monday, the embarrassed young man said he has since made a report to the Cyber Crime Unit of the Guyana Police Force and at the Ruimveldt Police Station.

The young man said when he made the reports, he made it known that it was possibly the investigators who leaked it. Importantly, he noted that the unauthorised dissemination of the video and the refusal to have it removed from Facebook will also see him taking legal action against the shady online outlet that initially posted it.

He said the video was in the phone of one of the male staffers arrested by the police on the night of November 02.

But even though his suspicions of the police involvement is yet to be proven, the young man said he intends to go after the online outlet that posted the video and refused to remove it in spite of the public embarrassment it continues to cause him.

The young man defended the character of Dr. Roach and said his private life should remain private.
On Friday last, the police arrested the main suspect, 19-year-old Hilton Oliver Junior Franklin who was at the time attempting to flee the country.

The suspect claimed that he killed the doctor because he made advances at him. But his accomplice, Mosai Byass,18, of Good Intent Village, West Bank Demerara, who was arrested hours later told police that he had planned to rob the doctor days before. The money would have been used to buy a car.

They only got US$600 and two gold rings after Dr. Roach was bludgeoned to death at his Duke Street, Kingston office.

They were both charged on Tuesday and remanded to prison until November 30.