NOC Commission of Inquiry…Final report to be presented this month end

Feb 08, 2013 News

The final report stating the findings of the inquiry which was set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the violent escape of juveniles from the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) at Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast, is expected to be presented to the public sometime this month end.
The document, which was put together by members of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) following two days of interviews of both the staffers and students of the juvenile detention facility, is currently being reviewed by Chairman of the COI, Justice Winston Moore.
This is according to Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, as well as member of the Inquiry Commission, Alfred King.
King explained Tuesday that the findings have been compiled into a document and that it has been recently handed over to Justice Moore who will conduct an extensive review of the document to ensure that there are no gaps.
After being stalled for a while to facilitate the replacement of Justice Prem Persaud who was named the initial Chairman of the COI, the investigation “seems to be heading somewhere”.
A few months ago, a number of youngsters, ages ranging from 14 to 16 went on a violent rampage, storming through several communities while being armed with cutlasses and other weapons, in a bid to escape from the Juvenile detention facility.
After the incident which resulted in the destruction of parts of the facility, including the female dormitory and a workshop which were set afire, inmates and staffers gave their statements. It was as a result of controversial and differing statements that a Commission of Inquiry was set up.
Inmates had claimed that they were being abused by staffers, and that they had reached breaking point. A senior Ministry official had however stated that none of the juveniles made any such allegations to the team which visited the centre shortly before the escape.
The Board of Inquiry comprises 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.
Of the 48 inmates who had appeared in court following the incident, eight were charged with arson, and 40 were arraigned for escaping from a training school. Thirty-six of them were male.
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 other 32 were returned to the NOC.
Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony has assured that any staffer found guilty of abusing the children when the report is presented this month end, will be dealt with accordingly.

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