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Prisoner attacks robbery victim in city courtroom
Security concerns were once again raised at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court when a prisoner facing seven
Accused: Wesley Griffith
robbery charges, attacked one of his alleged victims during a short adjournment in a courtroom yesterday.
Around 11:10 the prisoner, Wesley Griffith, 19, of Mackenzie, Linden jumped out of the prisoners’ dock and proceeded to trash 50-year-old Derek Halley. He reportedly dealt him several kicks and cuffs about his face and body.
It was another hearing for Griffith who is accused of robbing Halley of $200,000 in cash as well as $77,000 in electronic gadgets at his North Sophia, Greater Georgetown residence almost one year ago.
Halley, who spoke to Kaieteur News as he was awaiting the arrival of paramedics, said that he was sitting in Magistrate Judy Latchman’s courtroom during an adjournment when the prisoner lunged from the prisoners’ docks and knocked him to the ground.
The man explained that Griffith dealt him several cuffs and kicks about his body, rendering him unconscious. He noted that at the time Griffith was not wearing any hand or foot cuffs.
Halley said that it was Police Prosecutor, Inspector Joel Ricknauth, who was present in court that came to his rescue. He stated that the Prosecutor pulled the defendant off of him and ordered the prisoner back into the docks.
Griffith was then hand cuffed and taken back into the holding cell.
According to the victim, there was no other police rank present in the court at the time of the incident. He claimed that “two civilians” lifted him off the ground.
Halley told Kaieteur News he has since made a formal report of the incident at the Brickdam Police Station.
The victim who is now fearful for his life believes that there should be more security measures in court.
“They need to keep the prisoners hands and feet cuffed. This situation could have been far worse. There should be more police here.”
“He came to my house, beat, robbed and almost killed me and now he is being held in prison but it’s the same thing. This court system is a joke,” Halley said.
The victim said that he feels very insecure coming back to the court for the next hearing. He said that he fears that he would be attacked again when the accused is out of the court system.
Victim: Derek Hally
Halley was treated by paramedics who arrived on the scene shortly after the incident.
When questioned, the police had a slightly different tale to tell. Ranks claim that aside from the prosecutor there were four other ranks within the precincts.
They said that while the Prosecutor was sitting on his bench, another rank was in the Magistrates’ chambers, another in the prisoners’ chute and two plain clothes ranks were sitting in the courtroom at the time.
Recently, a few city litigants who spoke to Kaieteur News had expressed concerns about the security measures in the courtroom. The summary court, they complained, had the prisoners sitting too close to the gallery.
Griffith is also accused of the $5M Amelia Ward’s armed robbery, which occurred on January 31. There were six victims in that robbery.
He was one of the four, who on February 4, trailed their way into the courtroom of the Chief Magistrate to be named on several charges which included an armed carjacking, cash, jewellery, and electronic gadgets robbery, as well as gun and ammunition possession.
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