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NOC Commission of Inquiry commences work

Sep 13, 2012 News

The Commission of Inquiry which was set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the recent escape of inmates housed at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) at Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast has started its work.
This is according to Minister of Culture Youth and Sports, Dr. Frank Anthony, last evening.
The Minister noted that the members of the commission had their first meeting this week, and will soon be visiting the juvenile detention facility to conduct interviews with the inmates and staffers.
Early last month, dozens of young people, whose ages range from 14 to 16, during a violent rampage, escaped from the facility. They also stormed through several communities while being armed with cutlasses and other weapons.
The inmates subsequently claimed that it was the abuse by staffers that prompted the escape. They had reached a breaking point, he said.
Meanwhile, a senior Ministry of Culture official had also made it clear that none of the juveniles made any such allegations to the team which had visited the centre prior to the escape.
Consequently, as a result of these controversial statements, a Commission of Inquiry was formed.
The five-member Board of Inquiry is being headed by former Judge Prem Persaud, and include Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Alfred King; Senior Superintendent and Divisional Commander of ‘D’ Division, Christopher Griffith; Senior Probation Officer of Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Trenetta Scott and Mr. Maydha Persaud, a retired headmaster and member of the Teaching Service Commission.
Recently, 48 of the inmates appeared in court. Eight of the 48 were charged with arson, while 40 were arraigned for escaping from a training school. Twelve of the inmates are female.
Thirteen of the juveniles pleaded guilty to escaping from the NOC, while the remaining 35 entered not guilty pleas.
Sixteen of the inmates were remanded to the juvenile facility in Georgetown, while the rest were returned to the New Opportunity Corps.
Minister Anthony had initially posited that should any staffer be found guilty of abusing the children, that person will be dealt with condignly.

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