…police appeal to eight at large to surrender

IN light of the arrest of wanted fugitive, Pascal Smith, who along with 13 others had escaped from lawful custody from the holding area at Lusignan Prison, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday re-appealed to members of the public to provide information which may lead to the arrest of the others, who remain at large.

Pascal Smith was arrested by the police shortly after noon on Friday in a pit latrine in Barr Street, Kitty, Georgetown. He along with 12 others dug a hole within the pit latrine in the yard of Lusignan Prison and escaped during a heavy downpour between Sunday night and early Monday morning.

Police said Clive Forde C/D El Sinkie, Paul Goriah, Shawn Harris C/D Shawny, Kerry Cromwell, Mark Royden Durant C/D Royden Williams and Smallie, Stafrie Alexander Hopkinson, Uree Varswyck C/D Malcolm Gordon and Cobena Stephens C/D OJ remain at large and are wanted for Escaping from Lawful Custody (Georgetown and Lusignan Prisons).

The Guyana Police Force in its efforts to recapture the inmates is also appealing to members of the public, relatives and friends to give any relevant information as to the whereabouts of these escapees so that they can be captured and returned to the prison.

Also an appeal is being made to the escapees to surrender to the police or relevant authority, to avoid any serious confrontation that is likely to result in the use of force. All information will be treated with a high degree of confidence and also the rights of those escapees will be respected and upheld.

A teenager was on Saturday found dead at her Number Two Village, Canje home minutes after neighbours heard her and her boyfriend arguing.
Dead is 17-year-old Rasanna Lakhpal, a former Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) student who lived in the lower flat of the two-storey building with her boyfriend while her mother who owns the property lived in the upper flat.

The teenager’s lifeless body was discovered lying on the floor about 13:30h. According to reports, the now dead teen and her boyfriend were heard arguing on Thursday and her mother demanded that he leave the home as a result. Guyana Times understands that the 22-year-old suspect and the teen were arguing over his lack of interest in finding a job.
On Saturday, the teen’s mother left for work at a hotel in New Amsterdam and the suspect forced his way into the yard.
Nadira Persaud, a neighbour, discovered the body lying on the floor. According to her, she was informed that the couple were fighting and she went to investigate. Persaud explained that the teen had been tasked with babysitting her two children, ages two and 10.
The 10-year-old told this publication that she had gone to the house from a Vocational Bible School (VBS).
“Ryan went upstairs and he and ‘Rosie’ [Rasanna] and the two of them were fighting and then he turn to me and say we should go out the yard before we get hit. So I just pick up the baby (two-year-old) and go and call mommy at her workplace and told her,” the youngster related.
Persaud said when she arrived, there was no movement in the premises. She first looked downstairs and saw no one and as such, she went to the upper flat of the house.
She said that before she went upstairs, she saw a taxi driver who was acquainted with the family and the two of them went upstairs.
“So he look in the house and he tell me ‘look’ she there’, so I see she foot; it cover with a sheet an’ I pull the sheet an she ain’t move, so I pull the sheet off she face…”
In describing what she saw, the domestic worker said the girl’s face was partly covered with a pillow as she lay on a carpet on the floor with her neck slashed in the vicinity of a tattoo.
After an alarm was raised, several villagers rushed into the house.
When Police arrived on the scene, they cordoned off the area. Moments later, the dead girl’s mother arrived. She was taken into custody after Police interviewed her.
Meanwhile, the suspect is on the run. Shortly after the discovery was made, his Facebook page was deactivated.
The young couple had been together for close to one year. The Police investigation continues. (Andrew Carmichael)

…Police recapture Camp Street Prison escapee in Berbice

Less than a week after 13 prisoners escaped from the Lusignan Prison, 16 were shot as a riot erupted at the correctional facility on Saturday. In addition, four inmates were injured during a brawl among themselves.
Information reaching Guyana Times revealed that some time after 16:20h, a group of inmates started to behave disorderly among themselves, but this quickly escalated into a stampede.

As a result of the fight, four prisoners were injured, with three being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital to be treated while the fourth was attended to by medical personnel at the Prison.
The prisoners were repeatedly warned by officers, but they refused to adhere to orders and hurdled bricks at prison officers who were on duty.
Speaking with this publication, acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels explained that as a result of the behaviour of the prisoners, the officers were forced to retaliate by opening fire. He noted that they were shot with pellets.
During the ordeal, 16 prisoners were injured, but only three had to be further examined by doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The remaining 13, Samuels explained, were treated for minor injuries at the penitentiary.
He, nevertheless, stated that the situation was brought under control and the prison was back to normalcy. However, this newspaper understands that security at the holding area has been beefed up.
On Sunday into Monday last, the 13 prisoners made their way out of the Lusignan Prison by digging a hole under the perimeter fence, which was under the watchful eyes of members of the Joint Services. The men were deemed the “real bad” prisoners and were left in the pasture. Three were arrested along the East Coast of Demerara while four were recaptured in Georgetown on Monday evening.
Another, Kendall Skeete was recaptured, after being found hiding in an abandoned house on Wednesday in Wisroc, Linden and another, Pascal Smith was nabbed by Police ranks from a pit latrine at his residence in Barr Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
Following the recapture of the first seven, they appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court. During the arraignment, 22-year-old Jamal Forde, Jamal Joseph and 19-year-old Winston Long pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.
On the other hand, Teshawn McKenzie, Royan Jones, Jason Howard, and Odel Roberts pleaded not guilty and they were remanded until their case is called again in August at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

Recapture
Meanwhile, Joint Services ranks on Saturday evening recaptured wanted man Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander, who had escaped from the Camp Street Prison on July 9.
Information reaching Guyana Times indicated that ranks nabbed Alexander about 20:00h on Saturday at Topu, a village situated to the North of Albion and to the South of Rose Hall Town.
Hopkinson was among those who escaped from the Camp Street Prison during the fire which reduced the penitentiary to rubble and left one prison officer dead.
Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Paul Williams told this publication that the wanted man was recaptured during “Operation Clean Sweep”. He said members of the Joint Services had gone on an all-out hunt for Hopkinson after there were several sightings of him along the Corentyne in recent days. “We started checking all of the abandoned houses in the area not leaving anything unturned.”
This newspaper was told that four persons were arrested on Friday, and based on information they provided, Hopkinson was nabbed. Guyana Times understands that ranks concealed themselves in an abandoned house when Hopkinson walked into the building bringing an end to a 16-hour stakeout.
Residents of the Williamsburg/Hampshire squatting area say several houses were searched on Friday and Saturday by members of the Joint Services.
According to the Divisional Commander, Hopkinson had been seen in the area on Friday. “So we implemented “Operation Clean Sweep”, and not too long ago I got a call stating that they were able to capture him…,” he related.
On July 19, there were reports that Hopkinson was seen and shot at, but he eluded capture. He was at the time sleeping in a hammock in the backlands of Port Mourant.
Hopkinson was implicated in several robberies along the Corentyne. Several of his Corentyne associates were under surveillance of the Joint Services in recent days, this publication was told.
Meanwhile, efforts continue to recapture the remaining three fugitives. These are Mark Royden Durant, Uree Varswyck, and Cobena Stephens.

As Police continue their investigation into the murder of 51-year-old Dhanpaul Dookie, called “Pauline”, a vendor of Uitspa Village, Demerara River, 3 men have confessed to the heinous crime.
According to reports, the men admitted to robbing and stabbing the vendor to death between Monday and Thursday last.
Guyana Times understands that two of the suspects reside on the East Coast of Demerara and were employed by the now dead man. The third is reportedly a villager whom the two masterminds contacted days before the murder.
The farmer was stabbed twice to his abdomen, once to his lower back, once to his hip, once to his forehead, and once above his right eye. After committing the act, the suspects made their way into the man’s home, from whence they raided money and jewellery among other items before escaping.
However, after three days, the man’s body was found by persons who had gone to check on the cause of his absence. The police were immediately contacted and an investigation was launched.
A post mortem conducted on the remains of the man proved that he died from multiple stab wounds.
The three suspects were each previously charged: one for murder, but that case was dismissed; another for attempted murder, and that case is pending in the high court; and the third was charged with several other criminal offences.
The three suspects are expected to be arraigned on a murder charge when they make their court appearance in the new week

–as Joint Services hunt down prison escapees

GUNFIRE disturbed the tranquility of East Ruimveldt Sunday at midday as members of the Joint Forces took out Lusignan Prison escapee, Clive Forde, during an armed confrontation.
Clive Forde called “El Sinkie” was one of 13 prison escapees who tunnelled out of the Lusignan Prison a week ago.

Police in a statement said Forde was mortally wounded during an operation to recapture him in the East Ruimveldt, Georgetown area.
A 9MM pistol with a magazine and 11 live rounds were found a short distance from his body.
Police said based on intelligence gathered, the escapee was hiding out in a house in the Ruimveldt area and a planned operation was launched.
During the operation, the escapee opened fire on the police who responded while he was fleeing on foot.

The operation and death of Forde were subsequently confirmed by acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine.
Reports indicate that the escapee of Lot 68 Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, had visited his home after escaping and police later learned that he was in the area.

After realising the police were combing the area, Forde decided to flee, but was cornered at the East La Penitence Market, resulting in him seeking refuge on a dam in the squatting area.
He was mortally wounded between a fence and a latrine. His remains which bore multiple gunshot wounds were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital before being transferred to the Lyken Funeral Parlour.
“This man even walked in front of the East La Penitence Police Outpost before and no one recognised him; is either these escapees stupid, or they carefree, because I can’t see why all of them feel so confident to return home and not be caught,” one East La Penitence resident said.

One woman in the area told the Guyana Chronicle that when gunshots started ringing out, she dropped to the floor and grabbed her children and stayed there until the entire episode was completed.
She said when the police were finished the area was littered with spent shells.
Another resident said police bullets shattered her louvres and smashed up her plastic tub.
“The police kicked down the gate and run into the yard, damaged my tub and clothes, shoot at my louvres and even used one of my sheets to wrap the wanted man in to take him away,” the woman of 459 Front Road, East Ruimveldt Phase Two Squatting area, said. She is hoping to receive some compensation.
Meanwhile, acting Commissioner Ramnarine on Sunday evening also confirmed that another Lusignan Prison escapee, Kerry Cromwell, surrendered to police.
Police said that Cromwell’s mother contacted a senior government functionary and related their willingness to disclose Cromwell’s whereabouts and their concerns for his safety.
His mother, along with other relatives, on the advice of the government functionary, took Cromwell to the Brickdam Police Station where he was placed under arrest and is being held.