'You Are A Free Man' - Magistrate Dismisses Charges Against Dr. Persaud, former Preston Albury Teacher

The former Preston Albury High School Teacher had steadfastly voiced his innocence

(Rock Sound, Eleuthera) - The Eleutheran reported in May of 2010 on the indecent assault charge laid against, Dr. John Persaud, a 64 year old Guyanese national and teacher at the Preston Albury High School in South Eleuthera, in reference to a male student of the school.

Dr. Persaud, who was arraigned on May 19th before the Magistrate Court in Rock Sound, steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout. In conversation with  The Eleutheran, he said, that  he was shocked when he walked into the Police Station and was taken into custody. He further stated that he had no knowledge of the incident he was being accused of, describing the initial hours as “surreal”.

Following his arraignment his next court date was scheduled for June 17th but according to him, the Magistrate was a no show so the date was postponed to August 30. On August 30th the case was once again postponed to September 2. In keeping with what is a common complaint about the court system as it appears to be on Eleuthera, there was still no trial and a  tentative date given for sometime in October or November.

The parties were finally summoned to appear in court on Oct 4th - where trial finally began.

On Thursday, October 7th, after a three day trial, which purportedly included a one day break for the prosecution to round up witnesses, Dr. Persaud’s claim of innocence was vindicated by the courts, when according to his Lawyer, Mr. Jairam Mangra, the accused teacher was discharged and acquitted, by the Magistrate who cited insufficient evidence, supporting the no-case submission by Mangra on Persaud’s behalf.

According to Persuad, he was called up by the Magistrate who then said ““I must tell you that you are now a free man, you are acquitted, you are free.”
Lawyer Mangra stated that the prosecution gave an oral notice of appeal on hearing the verdict, however, as of Friday, October 29th no such notice of appeal had been filed. 

This action has served to prolong Persaud’s wait on receiving his ‘certificate of acquittal’ from the courts, which, by his account, would allow him to reclaim his identity and travel documents, to finally permit him to reunite with his family.  He added that the reunion, which is long overdue, should have taken place, as usual at the beginning of the school summer break.  With round trip tickets already purchased when he was arrested, he hopes to be able to claim at least a portion of the costly ticket value to travel home.

When asked about how he felt when he was first arrested, Persaud commented, “Traumatic, I would safely say it was the worst experience I’ve ever gone through.”

He continued, commenting on the conditions at the station where he was held, “I think my treatment there was inhuman… and the conditions were atrocious.” 

About the arrest,  he said, “For me it was a shocker.  I was actually teaching on the morning of the 17th, that was a Monday when the Principal told me that the Police wanted to see me at the station.”   He continued, “I was hoping that whatever the Police wanted to see me for might have only lasted a couple minutes. On entering the station I met a Policeman...He told me that I’m under arrest.  I was extremely shocked...and traumatized at the same time.  I had to tell him, ‘Arrest’, what for?  He said there was an allegation made against me by a student, that I indecently assaulted him. I was lost for words, because I could not recall having anything to do with that student.  I don’t teach the student at all. There’s no contact between that student and me. So he asked me for a statement. I said I could not give him a statement, because I didn’t know anything about this incident.”

However, despite this experience coming at the end of a long and decorated career, he expressed the feeling that his time spent as an Educator in the Bahamas spoke for itself, saying, “I think my reputation was able to hold out, because people know me, not only on Eleuthera but in the entire Bahamas and they’ve always known me to be a decent person and very upright.”   He said that he was heartened by the response of his peers, parents, and key persons on the island, sharing, “The community support was phenomenal, the entire Eleuthera community.”

According to Persaud, his next career move is still undecided, as he heals from his experience, but  he said the incident demonstrated to him how beloved and respected he is in this community, with numerous calls and personal visits of support. “I have lived to see my funeral, the outpouring of love, adulation and sympathy was overwhelming and I have been really touched.”

Dr. John Persaud, who has been teaching Social Sciences and History for 40 years with 17 of those spent on the island of Eleuthera, and 10 with Preston Albury High School, was awarded the Bahamas Master Teacher status in the first round of applicants when the distinguished designation was first introduced to the Bahamas education system.  Persaud also shared that he lectured in the Bahamahost program for three years, teaching on the History and Geography of the Bahamian Islands.  Presenting at Local Education and National Education Conferences for teachers, he said, were also highlights throughout his career in the Bahamas.

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EleutheraNews.Com - Article Published November 1st,2010
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