Rohee satisfied with pace of torture probe

Aug 02, 2008 News

On Thursday, Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, told the National Assembly that he is satisfied with the pace at which the police are pursuing the investigation into the death of prisoner Edwin Niles.

Niles, 34, died in prison last July 11 from a clot in the lungs due to burns about the back. He also suffered a fractured arm.

Rohee was at the time responding to a question by AFC leader Raphael Trotman concerning the progress of the investigation into the prisoner’s death.

“I am not dissatisfied with the pace at which the police are pursuing the matter. The DPP is a constitutional office, and I cannot ask the DPP to speed up her determination as to what charges are to be laid…As far as the police side is concerned, yes, I am satisfied,” Rohee said.

He added that police are still questioning a number of persons and have been requesting statements from them.

When questioned about the fact that investigations are still ongoing while the file has been sent to the DPP for advice, Minister Rohee said that it is not unusual for police to be investigating while advice is being sought from the DPP.

“I am advised that it is not unusual for the file to be sent to the DPP, and subsequently the police would return once again to some of the persons whom they would like to ask further questions…probably on the instruction of the DPP.”

Addressing the circumstances under which another prisoner met his death from blunt trauma, on July 26 last, the minister said that everyone is still puzzled.

Nolan Noble was the second prisoner to die within a space of two weeks at the Georgetown prison.
“This prisoner was in a cell all by himself for quite some time. It is not known whether the blow that was found was self-inflicted or otherwise.”

Rohee said he was told that the prisoner was of unsound mind, and more questions about the circumstances under which the prisoner died are yet to be answered.

“I understand that a post mortem has been conducted and it determined that he died from blunt trauma. The question is: if the prisoner was alone in a cell, how did that happen?”

Addressing the measures that have been put in place to prevent violent death at the prison, Rohee said that he has since had discussions with the management of the prison.

“The prison management is tasked with the responsibility to ensure that at no time the prison officers inflicted blows on prisoners.

The second thing is that where prisoners are known to be violent, they must be separated from other prisoners; and the third is that in conditions where they are incarcerated, all possibility or all instruments which could be used to inflict injuries must be removed from the cell,” Rohee added.

Meanwhile, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud said on Thursday that the blunt trauma that caused the death of Nolan Noble, an inmate of the Camp Street penitentiary, could have resulted from several scenarios.

According to him, the hit to Noble’s head could have been consistent with a fall; it could have been external aggression, whereby he was pushed into a wall, or hit on the head by someone; or he could have inflicted the wound himself.

Persaud noted that police investigations to get to the bottom of this matter are ongoing. A post mortem examination on Noble revealed that he died as a result of blunt force trauma to his head.

Reports state that Noble, a 36-year-old who was incarcerated on a murder charge, died at the hospital on Saturday after he was found unconscious.

Kaieteur News understands that a relative who saw the body at a city mortuary alleged that Noble’s body bore wounds to the back of the head and over one of the eyes.

This newspaper was told that Noble was mentally unstable, and was taking medication for his condition.
Noble was remanded a few years ago in connection with the stabbing death of a Linden basketball player.

His death occurred even as police officials continue to investigate the death of prison inmate Edwin Niles, who died at the Georgetown Hospital on July 11.

Niles, who was incarcerated on a narcotics charge, was admitted to the hospital on July 3 with a broken arm and burns on his shoulders, back and buttocks.

The inmate’s relatives have alleged that he was tortured by prison officers who were interrogating him about seven .22 rounds of ammunition that were found in his possession.

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