Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliot says the officers who were on duty at the time of the jailbreak at the Mazaruni Prison in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) are assisting with the investigations.
“Officers who would have worked the night period, they are all assisting with the investigation at the moment,” he told INews during a brief telephone interview today.
When asked if collusion between the officers and the escaped prisoners is suspected, he contended that “currently, the matter is being investigated by the police and the prisons…we’ll have to wait until the investigation determines if there was collusion.”
The Prison Director noted that the search for the four escapees is still continuing that the joint services and patrol teams are following several leads.
Elliot said authorities received information that the prisoners might have stolen a boat from a nearby village to aid in their escape. A team has been dispatched to the location to investigate.
The escapees are Imran Ramsaywack, Kenrick Lyte, Samuel Gouveia, and Ryan Jones. Ramsaywack and Lyte were on death row while Gouveia and Jones were convicted for manslaughter.
The Guyana Prison Service had explained that at about 07:15hrs on Tuesday, during the unlocking of the Brick Prison (Solitary Division) supervised by the Duty Officer and four other ranks, it was observed that the padlock to the entrance gate was tampered with, and further checks revealed that two bars within the cell were cut.
Ramsaywack, of Lot 7 Adelphi Village, East Coast Berbice was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the murder of a United States-based Buxton woman, Samantha Benjamin, in 2015.
Lyte, of Grant Good Intent Pomeroon River, was in 2019 was also sentenced to death after being found guilty of the murder of 72-year-old Osmond Fiedtkou. Family members of Feidtkou are demanding answers and are calling for persons to be held accountable for this latest jailbreak.
Gouveia, of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, was in jail murder of Santee Solomon in 2015.
Jones, of Bartica, was sentenced to 28 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of Timehri mechanic, Puranand Baljit, who was stabbed to death during a robbery at his Madewini home in 2016.
The Guyana Police Force, in its efforts to recapture the inmates, is 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.
Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Imran Ramsaywack, Kenrick Lyte, Samuel Gouveia and Ryan Jones is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 455-2238, 455-2222, 455-2241, 226-4585, 225-2700, 225-3650, 226-1326, 911 or the nearest police station.
