HGP Nightly News – A Police Detective Sergeant accused of stealing marijuana that had been handed over to him in the course of his duties has been cleared after a magistrate ruled that the prosecution failed to produce enough credible evidence to sustain the charge.
Detective Sergeant Elfannando Newman was on Tuesday freed of a charge of larceny by a public officer, bringing an end to a case that had hung over him for roughly four years.
Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce dismissed the matter after finding that the evidence presented by the prosecution fell short of the legal standard required for a conviction.
Newman had been represented by Attorney-at-Law Eusi Anderson, who later said the court found the prosecution’s evidence to be insufficient, inadequate and unreliable.
The charge had been filed by the Special Organised Crime Unit in June 2022.
Prosecutors had alleged that Newman stole approximately seven kilograms of marijuana that had reportedly been entrusted to him for lodging at the Timehri Police Station between February 27 and March 1, 2021.
The accusation stemmed from an earlier police interception of a vehicle carrying an estimated 45 to 50 pounds of marijuana.
Investigators claimed the narcotics were handed over to Newman, but alleged that he recorded only 6.8 pounds and failed to properly lodge the full quantity.
On that basis, SOCU charged the detective sergeant with larceny by a public officer, contending that the missing marijuana had been stolen to frustrate the possible conviction of the person who had claimed ownership of the drugs.
Newman consistently denied the allegation throughout the proceedings and maintained his innocence as the case wound its way through the court system.
According to his attorney, the detective remained resolute in his denial even while being interdicted from duty during the pendency of the matter.
Following Tuesday’s ruling, Anderson welcomed the dismissal of the charge and said he hoped Newman would be allowed to resume his duties in the Guyana Police Force.
The decision brings a close to one of the more unusual police-related prosecutions in recent years, with the court ultimately finding that the case presented against the officer was not strong enough to support a conviction.
