Remand prisoner jailed for setting fire in N/A Prison

Sep 05, 2014 News

Remand prisoner, Marlon Fordyce, 25, who set fire to the mattress in his cell after he was confined to solitary confinement for over a month, has been sentenced to one year in jail. Fordyce, of D’Andrade Street, Newtown and No 79 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, is in prison on a charge for murder.
The accused appeared before Magistrate Shurdel Isaacs Marcus at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on the charge of setting fire to things in a building. He had initially pleaded not guilty, but had a change of heart and confessed to the crime. Fordyce told the Magistrate that the fire was not deliberate and was as a result of an unattended lighted cigarette. “Your honour I was smoking a cigarette and I fell asleep.”
Prosecutor Sergeant Godfrey Playter told the court that on Tuesday 15th April, at approximately 12:15 hrs, Fordyce had just returned to his cell after having lunch. The prisoner, after reportedly lighting a cigarette, deliberately left the cigarette on the mattress in his room in cell No 8, resulting in the blaze. The prosecutor stated that during the day, while the defendant was in his cell, other inmates drew to the attention of the prison authorities that fire was coming from the cell that Fordyce was occupying.
Police and fire officials responded promptly and were able to contain the fire to the single cell. However, the mattress was completely burnt and sections of the cell were badly scorched.
Two fire tenders were dispatched to the location.
Fordyce has been committed to stand trial for the December 18, 2012 murder of Rajmohan Phaskarran called ‘Cowboy’ at No. 79 Village on the Corentyne.

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