The police are said to be clueless as to the whereabouts of two remand prisoners who were charged with larceny offences committed two years ago and were supposed to be in the Camp Street prison.
Julian Bizzeth charged with larceny from the person and Simeon Sancho charged with break and enter and larceny have not attended court since December last year and January of this year respectively.
Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys, who highlighted the issue when the matter was again brought to his attention said “there are prisoners who are not coming to the court, are not in the prison and there is no bail or recognizance in the jacket”. If the men had been granted bail then it would be reflected in the case jacket. “It’s obvious that something is wrong with the system in taking persons from the Georgetown lockups to the prison,” the magistrate said
Contacted yesterday Director of Prisons Dale Erskine said there were no records on Bizzeth in the prison system. However, he did say that he knew of a Bizzeth who was in and out of the prison but he was not currently in. He could not say whether Sancho was in prison since information on that prisoner had not been communicated to him when this newspaper contacted him.
Erskine said the police would have to enquire what happened to the men since there had been no escapes from Camp Street neither were there men missing from the prison. Someone, he said, would have to give an account.
He said too that sometimes when one magistrate refuses bail others grant it.
Bizzeth was accused of stealing $1,000 and a cellular phone card from Manawattie Lakeram at Brickdam on September 29, 2005. He was refused bail and last appeared in court on January 18, this year before Magistrate Gilhuys. The case jacket does not show that he was bailed. Sancho is accused of breaking into the dwelling of Bonny Wilson on November 12, 2005 and stealing one Citizen watch, a cellular phone charger and a kitchen knife to the total value of $8,150. He was before another magistrate and his case was transferred to Magistrate Gilhuys on December 7 last year. He was supposed to be on $35,000 bail but has disappeared. There is no note on the case jacket to say whether someone paid his bail. However, if indeed he was bailed, he has since absconded. The police cannot say what happened to the men and arrest warrants were issued for both of them. The last known place where the men were supposed to be was in prison.
Remand prisoners are often kept at the court lockups until they are ready to be transferred to the prison. If the men left the court lockups, the person in charge should have known.
