In a significant judicial development, retired Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Slowe has been acquitted of all three counts of sexual assault by a Georgetown magistrate. The ruling, delivered Friday by Senior Magistrate Fabiyo Azore, concluded that the prosecution failed to meet the stringent evidentiary threshold required for conviction under Guyanese law.
The case centered on allegations made by a female police officer who claimed Slowe sexually assaulted her on three separate occasions between March and April 2019 at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary. The prosecution, led by Senior Police Legal Advisor Mandel Moore, presented evidence that was ultimately deemed by the court to be of equal weight to the defense’s counterarguments.
In her landmark decision, Magistrate Azore applied the fundamental legal principle that when evidentiary scales are balanced, the benefit of doubt must invariably favor the accused. The court explicitly clarified that this verdict does not constitute a finding that the complainant fabricated her testimony, but rather reflects the prosecution’s failure to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Within hours of the verdict, the Guyana Police Force issued an official statement announcing their intention to appeal the decision. This rare move by law enforcement against a judicial ruling involving one of their own former high-ranking officials signals the case’s continued significance within Guyana’s criminal justice system.
The outcome has sparked renewed discussions about institutional accountability, evidentiary standards in sexual offense cases, and the complex dynamics of power within police hierarchies. Legal observers note this case may establish important precedents for how similar allegations are handled within Guyana’s law enforcement community moving forward.