…Investigation found that SOPs were not followed
More than one month after 22-year-old Derryck Oudkerk escaped from the Lusignan Prison, he was on Monday re-arrested by police while in the vicinity of Water Dog Backdam- in an interior location.
According to information received, the arrest was made at around 16:00hrs after police, acting on information, left the Mahdia Police Station and visited the Camp belonging to a 51-year-old dredge owner of West Bank Demerara, at Water Dog Backdam.
Convicted Prisoner Oudkerk was in January of 2018, sentenced to eighteen (18) months imprisonment on a “larceny” offence.
INews was told that Oudkerk, was reported missing by a Senior Superintendent of Prisons, Alstan Scott on April 8, 2018 at about 04:30hrs.
Reports indicated that the convicted prisoner had escaped while labouring at the said Senior Superintendent’s residence.
An internal investigation was launched and according to the initial information, it indicated that on the day in question, Oudkerk was among two other prisoners who were all signed for and uplifted by Scott, to labour at his residence, located at Ann’s Grove on the East Coast of Demerara.
During that period, it is alleged that the former escapee was assigned to load sand from the road into Scott’s yard.
According to Scott, he was also assisting the prisoner with his task. However, he recalled that he left Oudkerk on the road and proceeded to move away into the yard with a load of sand and upon returning, the 23-year-old was nowhere to be found.
A search was immediately conducted in the vicinity, however, this proved futile.
Further investigations into the prisoner’s escape revealed that the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the selection of prisoners for labour outdoors were not followed.
