DEPUTY Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, has dispelled allegations that he caused the death of the 17 inmates who perished in the fire during the March 03 Camp Street prison riot.At the ongoing Commission of Inquiry, a number of inmates had testified that Samuels had ordered the doors locked, saying “let them burn and dead”, thereby preventing prisoners from escaping the inferno.

The Deputy Director of Prisons was sent on six weeks’ leave in the wake of inmates’ complaints following the deadly fire at the Georgetown Prison.

Samuels took the stand yesterday and made it clear that he did not lead the Task Force at the prison on the day in question.

TOLL ON FAMILY
According to Samuels, every effort was made to rescue the prisoners; but, to his surprise, the prisoners and media have painted him in a very barbaric way -– a situation which has now taken a toll on his entire family.

Before a full house at the CoI Secretariat, Samuels was cross-examined by Prison Services Attorney Selwyn Pieters, who requested that he detail the events leading up to, during, and after the riot. The Commission comprises the chairman, Justice James Patterson, human rights activist Merle Mendonca and retired Director of Prisons Dale Erskine.

The Deputy Director of Prisons told the Commission that after returning to Bartica from the Mazaruni Prison on March 2, he was informed that members of the Joint Services had conducted a search at the Georgetown Prison and had found lots of contraband items. These included cell phones; leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be marijuana; and improvised weapons.

According to Samuels, he confirmed receiving the message, making it clear that he was not mandated to give any instruction at that point. However, at about 21:00h, he received another call from the Operations Room at the Georgetown Prison, informing him that there was a fire at the Capital ‘A’ Division.

Upon learning of the fire, Samuels said, he enquired whether the relevant authorities had been informed, and was told they had. He was later informed that several fires were set, but the prison officers, with the help of members of the Fire Service, were successful in extinguishing those fires.

Questioned about his attire upon entering the penitentiary on the day in question, Samuels recalled that he was dressed in a white T-shirt that carried the Prison Services’ Logo along with a pair of jeans. He said that at that point he was not carrying a service firearm.

THREATS TO PRISON OFFICERS
“…after entering the second gate…there was a whole lot of noise coming from the prison yard. I heard persons cursing to the top of their voice, making threats to prison officers,” he recalled.

As he made his way to the prison yard, Samuels said, he reportedly observed that approximately six prison officers, dressed in the Task Force uniform, were carrying a prisoner by the name of Collis Collison, who appeared very hostile to the officers.

“There was a lot of noise coming specifically from the Capital ‘A’ Division,” he added, noting that the prisoners were tampering with the partition wall. “There was also the sound of steel hitting steel…. Having heard what was happening, as I looked around the prison yard, based on my assessment, I concluded that the security arrangement on the ground was not adequate to protect the staff, and by extension the public.

“At that point, I instructed three prison officers to go to the front and uplift arms and ammunition and return to the prison yard…I also give instruction to one of them to bring my firearm,” he recounted, noting that his actions were in keeping with Standing Operating Order 25.

But he made it clear that none of the firearms were used on March 3.

Samuels said Superintendent Kevin Pilgrim, who was the officer in charge of the prison at the time, subsequently updated him on the situation. He said his suspicion that the prisoners were breaking the partition wall between Divisions ‘A’ and ‘B’ was confirmed during the briefing with Superintendent Pilgrim.

According to the Deputy Director of Prisons, Superintendent Pilgrim had also informed him that a number of prisoners in the Capital ‘A’ Division were brought out during the search exercise, but some had put up a resistance and retaliated by breaking the wall.

A decision was then taken to have Capital ‘B’ evacuated.

“Mr. Pilgrim went up to the Capital B Division, and at that point they refused,” he recounted, adding that from where he was standing in the prison yard, prisoners were heard hurling death and sexual threats towards the prison officers.

After the prisoners had refused to heed Pilgrim’s instruction, Samuels said, he proceeded to the Capital ‘B’ Division, where he saw that the door was open. Standing in front of the door, Samuels said, was Jermaine Otto, a prisoner who was housed in the Capital ‘A’ Block. Samuels said he drew the conclusion that Otto had gotten to Division B through the hole in the wall.

Leaving the door open, Samuels said, he proceeded down the stairs; and it was while heading to the prison yard that he heard a loud noise -– the prisoners had broken a larger part of the partition.

“Together with a group of officers, we went up to Capital B. Mr. Pilgrim and I spoke to the prisoners, advising them to come out…I stood in front of the Capital ‘B’ door, and at that point the area was very hostile because the prisoners were pelting left, right, and centre…. The prisoners were told to come out repeatedly, but they refused,” Samuels told the commission.

At that point, Samuels said, he drew his weapon. He contended that the prisoners in Capital ‘B’ were being held hostage by Otto.

Asked what propelled him to draw his firearm, Samuels said: “Because of the level of threat I was exposed to…I had to safeguard myself and I had to safeguard the ranks under my command, and the prisoners in capital ‘B’ who were being held hostage. I also had a responsibility to safeguard the general public.”

Though it took some time, Samuels told the Commission, the prisoners in Capital ‘B’ subsequently existed the building, and he then noticed that a fire had erupted in Capital ‘A’.

FUELLING FIRE
An alarm was raised, and the prison officers were able to bring the fire under control, Samuels recalled; but the prisoners were continuously fuelling the fire by adding their mattresses.

After ensuring Capital ‘B’ was cleared, Samuels said, and recognizing that Block ‘A’ was on fire, he proceeded to the prison yard, where he then instructed that the door to that block be opened.

“After a short period, I was informed that the door was not opening,” Samuels said. He said he then instructed the prison officers to reopen the Capital ‘B’ door so that the prisoners could exit through the hole they had created in the partition.

“All of my instructions were given from the prison yard,” he emphasised. The prison officers, who were using plastic shields, had retreated due to the heat emanating from the block, he said.

Upon realizing that the prisoners did not exit through Capital ‘B’, he instructed a civilian worker to use a power cutter to cut open the door, but that failed, and so they later resorted to using the keys for a second time.

He told the Commission that, with the help of fire fighters, the prison officers had made every attempt to extinguish the fire and rescue the prisoners who were trapped in Capital Block ‘A.’

“I saw persons kicking the door, hitting it with a fire extinguisher. Mr. Pilgrim again resorted to the use of the power cutter, and it was not until continuous efforts that I saw the door opened,” he recounted.

At that point, the Director of Prisons, Fire Chief Marlon Gentle and Police Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken had arrived on the scene, Samuels said.

According to him, the Director was informed that some of the prisoners were trapped. While he was speaking with the officials, the prisoners complained to the Assistant Commissioner that he, Samuels, had locked the prisoners inside the blazing block.

“Some of the prisoners who were not in the affected area complained to Mr. Hicken that Samuels was responsible for the death or the burning of the prisoners…that is what they said…that he give instructions for the door to be locked,” he said, but maintained his innocence. As a result, he said, he was advised by Hicken to leave the prison yard.