Police to appeal Paul Slowe acquittal in sexual assault case

The Guyana Police Force has announced its intention to appeal a ruling by Senior Magistrate Fabiyo Azore, who today found Paul Slowe not guilty of three counts of sexual assault.
Slowe, who was charged on 15 October 2021 under Section 4(3) of the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 8:03, was accused of sexually assaulting a female police officer on three occasions in March and April 2019 at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.
In her ruling at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Azore cited that the evidence presented by both the prosecution and defence was of equal weight. She noted that under the law, when the evidence is evenly balanced, the benefit of the doubt must go to the accused. The court emphasised that the verdict does not imply the complainant fabricated her testimony, but that the prosecution had not met the high threshold required to secure a conviction.
Senior Police Legal Advisor and Attorney-at-Law Mandel Moore represented the prosecution during the trial.
The police have confirmed that they intend to challenge the magistrate’s decision through the appeals process.