A 25-year-old man has been awarded $8 million by the High Court after being wrongfully arrested, detained, imprisoned, and maliciously prosecuted by the Guyana Police Force in 2023 when he was 22 years old.
Terrence Sandy filed a lawsuit against the Guyana Police Force in 2024 over the 2023 incident. Last Friday, Justice Sherdel Issacs-Marcus awarded Sandy the total sum of $8 million and made several declarations regarding the violations he suffered.
The Court declared that Sandy was wrongfully arrested by members of the Guyana Police Force, wrongfully imprisoned for a total of 80 days by agents and officers of the State, and subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment.
Justice Issacs-Marcus also declared that the fundamental rights of the claimant, as guaranteed under Articles 139(1) and 141 of the Constitution, were violated by the State.
Additionally, the Court declared that Sandy was maliciously prosecuted by members of the Guyana Police Force without proper legal consultation.
Sandy was on his way home in his village of Kuru Kururu on 10th June, 2023, when he was grabbed and forcibly placed into a Police vehicle by a number of Police Ranks. He was taken to the Police station and held for hours without being questioned or informed of any complaint against him.
Eventually, he was brought before the Court and charged with the offence of break and enter. He was refused bail and remanded to custody.
After being retained, Sandy’s Attorneys, Dexter Todd and Dexter Smartt, realized that there were several violations in the youth’s arrest and that there was no accusation or evidence against him.
The matter was eventually withdrawn by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions after it was brought to their attention. However, by that time, Sandy had already spent more than two months on remand.
Sandy’s attorneys said the High Court ruling reflects the Court’s zero tolerance for Constitutional breaches against citizens and its commitment to compensating victims of such violations.
The award adds to a growing number of cases in which the High Court has held the state accountable for unlawful arrests and detention, reinforcing the judiciary’s protective stance toward citizens’ constitutional rights.
