High-profile murder accused Jermaine ‘Skinny’ Charles escaped from custody at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon.
Police searched several parts of the East Coast for him yesterday but up to press time there was no word on whether there had been any sighting. There was also no statement from the police on what had transpired.
Charles had appeared at Sparendaam for the continuation of the PI into the slayings at the home of former Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow “Sash” Sawh.
According to reports, after “Skinny” had appeared before Magistrate Yohhanseh Cave, he was taken downstairs to the holding area in the police station and disappeared afterwards. Police ranks only realized that the man was missing when they were lining up the other prisoners to take them back to the Camp Street prisons. Onlookers related that the police then launched a frantic search which turned out to be futile.
It was the latest embarrassment for the force which has been beset by similar episodes.
One woman told Stabroek News that she came to the station to look after some personal matters but was asked to wait outside of the compound. She said she was not aware of the reason but heard persons saying that “some prisoner like he escape.”
Another man said that he saw the police peering underneath the station which is about two feet off the ground. He added that he heard some ranks saying that they saw prints in the “sappy” ground under the flooring of the station which would indicate that “Skinny” escaped via a loose floor board and then crawled out unnoticed.
Stabroek News was told that police ranks had launched a search in the cane fields aback of Plaisance, a neighbouring village to Sparendaam.
Charles has been charged along with Dwight Da Silva, Quincy Evans, Terrence John, Delwayne Carrington and a boy who is now 15-years-old for a number of other murders.
He was charged along with Da Silva for the murder of Barbot Paul, the Kaneville, East Bank Demerara businessman who was shot and killed outside his home on August 6. Charles is also accused of killing Devon Charles of Agricola on June 23, Guilford Henry on June 26, 2005 and 12-year-old Kevin Browne on March 18, 2006. He shares the murder charge for Browne with Dego France. Charles is also charged with Da Silva and Evans for being part of a group of men who allegedly murdered five Kaieteur News pressmen – Chetram Persaud, Eion Wegman, Richard Stewart, Mark Maikoo and Shazeem Mohamed in August 2006.
It is also alleged that they killed Wordsworth Grey on August 8. The 15-year-old boy, who was 13 years then, was also charged for that murder. Charles was then charged for the murders of Sawh, Rajpat Sawh, Phulmattie Persaud and Curtis Robinson on April 22 at La Bonne Intention (LBI) East Coast Demerara. David Leander, called ‘Biscuit’, was also charged separately with the LBI slayings.
