One of the three New Amsterdam Prison escapees who was recaptured last Sunday appeared at the Whim Magistrate’s Court and gave Magistrate Krishendat Persaud a dramatic account of how he ended up on the outside.
Gavin Balkissoon, who staged a daring getaway along with two others – Samuel Fable and Derrick Busgit – related that the two men placed a knife to his neck and kicked him out of the van.
He recounted that when he was able to release himself from the handcuffs he jumped onto a “cow truck” and headed towards his home at Springlands. Balkissoon told the magistrate that a relative then turned him in to the station.
He then entered a guilty plea and said he was sorry and begged the court to be lenient. After listening to his story, Magistrate Persaud took into consideration that he was on a minor charge and sentenced him to one year imprisonment.
The court’s case is that on Thursday March 15, 2007 at Fort Canje while being a remanded prisoner in the lawful custody of Police Corporal 13312 Curtis Blair, pending a charge of possession of a smoking utensil, he escaped from lawful custody in company of the two others.
Balkissoon, along with Fable of Alness Village, Corentyne and Busgit of Black Bush Polder was said to have cut a bar with a hacksaw on a moving prison van while being escorted from the Albion Court to the New Amsterdam Prison.
Fable is charged along with Seenarine Deonarine and Samuel Fraser with the murder of a butcher, Gangaram Busjit last November at Liverpool, while Busgit is charged with his mother and a brother for beheading a man at Black Bush Polder last October. This newspaper learnt that Busgit’s case is almost completed.
At the time of their escape, the men were in the vehicle with five other prisoners and three police ranks.
Meanwhile, the police yesterday issued an appeal to the relatives of Fable and Busjit to advise the men to give themselves up.
Up to last evening they had not been recaptured and the police in a release said that the men are free to give themselves up at any police station or outpost or even at police headquarters.
