Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Nov 17, 2010 News
– Security staffers suspended
Lapses on the part of some colleagues of nurse/midwife Ursula Hutson may have enabled the woman’s ex-boyfriend to sneak into the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Maternity Ward and attack her.
This is the allegation being made by some hospital sources who believe that GPHC’s security personnel are being wrongly blamed for last Sunday’s attack which left Hutson with stab wounds and acid burns to the face, neck and chest.
The hospital sources made the claims yesterday after confirming that the GPHC administration had suspended three of its security staffers for four days.
Kaieteur News understands that the guards—two females and a male—received letters from the GPHC administration which indicated that security lapses on their part caused the attack to occur.
According to a source, the male guard was stationed at the hospital’s Middle Street gate. One of the female guards was near the Maternity Ward, while her colleague was at the gate leading to the Maternity Ward.
Their suspension began on Monday.
But the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is looking into the matter on the guards’ behalf.
Nurse Hutson’s assailant has been identified as Woodrow Cadogan aka “Thousand”, who is employed as a driver for a well-known city funeral parlour.
There are reports that Cadogan, who is still at large, was habitually seen in the GPHC compound soliciting for the city funeral parlour.
Kaieteur News was told that the suspect had entered the GPHC’s southern compound during visiting hours last Sunday and had brought meals for Hutson.
The sources said that he apparently remained in the compound, since no one saw him entering through either of the gates when the attack occurred.
“He premeditated to do what he did,” a hospital source said. “He’s familiar with the compound and he could have hidden somewhere and waited until it was dark.”
It is alleged that between 19:00 hrs and 19:30 hrs, Cadogan suddenly approached the female security guard and said: “I going and drop something fuh nursie” (Hutson).
With that, he ran up the stairs leading to the nurses’ quarters above the Maternity Ward. Some minutes later, he was seen hurrying out of the compound via the Middle Street gate.
Kaieteur News understands that none of the guards in that section of the compound had radio sets. According to a source, the security staff has been without radio sets for a week.
The telephones in the southern block, where the attack occurred, are also said not to be working.
Some hospital sources believe that Cadogan could have been apprehended before he left the compound if the guards had radio sets to alert their colleagues about the attack.
Blaming some of the nurses for the incident, some hospital staff alleged that the nurses habitually allow persons to enter the Maternity Ward after visiting hours, even after the security personnel turn them back.
A relative had told Kaieteur News that Hutson and her attacker had separated more than three months ago.
But the woman’s colleagues said that the suspect kept visiting Hutson at the hospital without her consent.
The man had reportedly made previous threats on her life and some hospital staff alleged that he was seen assaulting Hutson outside of the hospital about a week ago.
Hutson was in the Nurses’ Room, located above the Maternity Ward when the suspect entered the building and stabbed her repeatedly before dousing her with a corrosive substance.
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