Six years later…Cops get two years each for prisoner’s escape

Feb 07, 2014 News

A nerve racking wait over the past six years ended in anguish yesterday for two police ranks who were before the court for allowing a prisoner to escape from lawful custody.
Both Constables Ertest Ivan and Sandra Corridus were jailed for two years by Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The two ranks, who were interdicted since they were initially charged in February 2008 for allowing former murder accused Onika King to escape, broke down in tears after the sentence was handed down.
It is alleged that the two ranks allowed King to escape while they were transporting her to the prison in New Amsterdam.
It is alleged that on November 2, 2007 at Hand-en-Veldt, Mahaica, Constable Ivan, who was attached to the Tactical Services Unit and Constable Corridus, a former Police Impact Base rank, “assisted Onika King in escaping, while she was in lawful custody.”
Yesterday’s decision came after six agonising years, during which the summary matter was heard by six Magistrates and seven different Prosecutors, not to mention different defence attorneys.
The matter started in February 2008 before Magistrate Yohhannseh Cave and was subsequently heard by Magistrates Heymant Ramdhani, Judy Latchman and Alex Moore and more recently Sueanna Lovell.
Kaieteur News understands that all seven police witnesses had testified in the trial but the constant adjournments and Magistrate changes resulted in several aborted trials.
Another main witness, Ashanti Schultz, called ‘Blondie’ who was also a prisoner in the vehicle with King, left the jurisdiction shortly after the two cops were charged and therefore was unavailable to offer any evidence.
The court had heard that on November 2, 2007 at Hand-en-Veldt, Mahaica, while being on a criminal charge, King escaped from custody.
On that day, King had attended court in Georgetown and was being transported back to the New Amsterdam Prison when she escaped. At the time, the 22-year-old King of Lot 1830 North Ruimveldt, Festival City, Georgetown, was facing charges for the December 13, 2006 murder of Selvin King.
According to reports, the police vehicle transporting King and another female murder accused, Ashanti Schultz, had stopped at the liquor restaurant.
The ranks and the two murder accused allegedly entered the liquor restaurant where the policemen ordered drinks.
While there, King reportedly told the ranks that she wanted to relieve herself and they allowed her to go to the restaurant’s washroom.
It is alleged that while the ranks remained at their table, the accused crawled through a hole in the fence at the back of the premises and disappeared.
King managed to remain at large while the police ranks faced the court.
But after almost two years on the run, King was arrested in French Guiana for simple larceny and was subsequently deported back to Guyana.
The murder charge against her was dismissed.

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Six years later…Cops get two years each for prisoner’s escape

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