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Mar 26, 2018 News
Director of Prisons Gladwyn Samuels wants to reassure the public that the search for the two remaining prison escapees Paul Goriah and Cobena Stephens called OJ, has not been abandoned.
This disclosure was made yesterday by Samuels who said that daily efforts are being made to apprehend the fugitives.
According to Samuels, security officials, thus far, have not received any vital information as to the whereabouts of the escapees. In the meantime, he is also reminding the public that harbouring these escapees is a criminal offence, and that persons found doing so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
The Director of Prisons said that relatives and friends of the escapees who might be afraid to turn them in can call the police and provide the necessary information to have them arrested.
Stephens escaped while inmates from the Camp Street Prison were being transported to the Lusignan Prison on July 9, 2017. Just around 17:00hrs that day inmates set fires to several section of the prison—as Bartica and Lusignan mass killer Mark Royden Williams, ex-cop and double murder accused Uree Varswyk, murder accused Stafrei Alexander and murder accused Desmond James broke out of the penitentiary.
Murder accused Stephens is believed to have escaped during the time police ranks and soldiers were moving prisoners from the burn facility to the Lusignan Prison.
Varswyk was shot dead during a confrontation with police ranks at Linden in September 2017. Hopkinson was nabbed in Topoo, a village nestled between Hampshire and Albion in East Berbice, Corentyne on July 29, 2017. James was caught hiding in an abandoned shack at Canal Number One, West Ban Demerara on July 14, 2017.
Williams, who was said to be the most dangerous of the escapees, was captured in a bus on the evening of October 9, 2017 at Weldaad, West Coast Berbice. His dread locks had been shorn.
Meanwhile, Goriah was among the 13 inmates who dug their way out of the Lusignan prison on July 24, last.
He remains the only prisoner at large from this batch.
Goriah, formerly of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara along with three other men were charged and remanded to prison for the murder of re-migrant agriculturist, Anthony Breedy, who was found dead in his Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara home in March 2016. Goriah had served jail time for break and enter and larceny and trafficking narcotics. One year prior to these two prison breaks, 17 prisoners died after fire gutted the Camp Street prison. Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of these men is being asked to contact the police on 225-6411, 22-58196, 944 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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