BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE mother of a resident at Her Majesty’s Prison claimed that her son was beaten by Wardens who took him to be X-rayed at the hospital and she is now seeking legal advice.
Speaking with SKNVibes, the seemingly distraught mother said her son is serving a sentence for larceny and on Good Friday (Apr. 14) she and a number of family members had received phone calls indicating that he was beaten by Prison Wardens.
“On Good Friday, myself and many other family members got phone calls from sources within the prison stating that my son was beaten by some Prison Offers and he had to be taken to the JNF Hospital.
“I told a very good friend what I heard and on Easter Monday she saw the Superintendent of Prisons, Mr. Junie Hodge, at the entrance of the prison and enquired about the incident. She told me that Mr. Hodge said he was unaware of it. She also told me that while speaking with him, a Prison Officer was entering the facility and Mr. Hodge asked him if anything unusual had occurred during the holiday weekend and he responded in the negative.”
The mother said she was not satisfied with what Hodge said, because someone who works at the hospital had told her that her son was there seeking medical attention, so she went to visit him this morning (Apr. 24).
“I arrived at the prison just after nine o’clock and a female Prison Officer allowed me to see my son shortly before midday. She ushered me to a room that separated me from my son. There were large holes in the wall and I could have seen and speak to him.
“I asked him how he was feeling, and in tears he said: “Mommy, they beat me up badly in here and they took me to the hospital to X-ray my back. The results didn’t show any broken bones but there were bruises on my back.
“The female Prison Officer, who was within earshot, shouted: ‘You can’t talk about what happens in here. What happens in here must stay in here. If you can’t change the topic you will have to go.’ I immediately said to her: ‘What topic must I raise? This is more important...he is my son!’”
The mother said her son continued talking and while explained what transpired the Warden ordered her out of the facility.
“He told me that two male Prison Officer [names provided] held him down while another one [name also provided] beat him on his back with a baton. When the female heard what he said, she called a male Officer and told him to take my son away and ordered me out of the facility.
“In spite of what he did, he is my son. I am not condoning what he did in the past. He had done a wrong and he has to pay the consequences. But while incarcerated no Prison Officer has the right to physically abuse a prisoner. If he had violated any of the rules, I am certain that there are other disciplinary actions they could have enforced rather than physical ill-treatment.”
The mother stated that she went in search of legal advice and informed that an Attorney-at-Law had her that he would be available tomorrow.
When contacted for a comment, Hodge told SKNVibes that he was not aware of the incident but promised to investigate. He however questioned why the resident did not lodge a complaint with him.
More on this incident as details unfold.
