A senior police officer has confirmed that the father of slain fugitive Neil Bovell will be charged.
The officer said that the elder Bovell, who was arrested shortly after his fugitive son was shot dead on Wednesday, could face charges stemming from his alleged involvement in aiding the wanted man in eluding capture for three years.
According to the officer while there is no charge for ‘harbouring a criminal', the elder Bovell could be charged with accessory after the fact.
“We had made a recommendation to the DPP that we should look at the harbouring charge in a dwelling house, but so far we have not reached that stage,” the officer said.
Kaieteur News understands that the charge could be instituted since the wanted man's father knew that he was wanted for murders and other heinous crimes, and participated in his avoiding capture.
Bovell was shot dead by a party of policemen at his father's house at Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara on Wednesday morning.
Police as well as many residents are convinced that family members provided assistance to the fugitive while he was in hiding since 2003.
Residents claimed that Bovell was seen on several occasions in the village but disappeared on many occasions just before police ranks arrived to apprehend him.
During searches in the backlands where Bovell was hiding out, police had found a number of camps with articles which they said could only have been acquired with the help of others.
There were also rumours that Bovell, a former policeman, was being assisted by some of his friends in the force.
A source on the West Coast of Demerara where the fugitive's father is being held told Kaieteur News that the man told investigators that he had only seen his son sometime last week when he passed by his house.
However investigators believe that the wanted man was in frequent contact with his father and other relatives.
On the day Bovell was killed, sources said that he had emerged from his father's house and was in the process of preparing a meal when the police arrived.
Residents are breathing a sigh of relief at his death and have congratulated the police for not giving up the fight to rid their community of the man who sent shivers down the spines of villagers, particularly females.