The police have received reports of the sighting of escaped high-profile prisoner Jermaine “Skinny” Charles at undisclosed rural location and are responding to leads, a high-ranking police officer revealed yesterday.
Charles escaped from the Sparendaam lock-ups after making a court appearance there on Wednesday last.
He managed to sneak under loosened boards in the lock-ups and made his way out of the police station unnoticed. The police only realized he was missing some three hours after.
A senior police officer told this newspaper yesterday that some inside work was being done in the community, which he preferred not to name. However, he said nothing substantial has come up.
Meanwhile, the officer noted that the three teens arrested in Agricola at the weekend reportedly for harbouring Charles, had been released. The officer said the police were equipped with reliable information prior to the men’s arrest, however such information could not be transferred into reliable enough evidence to press charges against the youths.
The officer said that the youths have denied seeing Charles.
At a press conference following the escape, Commissioner of Police (ag) Henry Greene had said that police were convinced that it was well planned and while there was no evidence at the time of collusion, the officers found guilty of negligence will be interdicted from duty. Greene also admitted that there was no evidence that the mandatory checks were made on the prisoners during the period that they were returned to the lock-ups after making their court appearance.
Thirty-three prisoners, including Charles and David Leander called `Biscuit’, were escorted from the George-town prisons to the Sparen-daam police station with the relevant escort as dictated by the standing orders.
Charles was at the Sparendaam court to answer a charge in relation to the murder of the late government minister Satyadeow Sawh, his siblings and his security guard. He is also facing other charges of murder including the Kaieteur News pressmen.
Around 11.30 am, Leander and Charles were taken out for court where they spent only about ten minutes and then replaced in the lock-ups as the police awaited the magistrate’s signature of the warrants before they departed for the Georgetown Prison.
The prisoners were left unsupervised and no one visited the lock-ups. During this time, the two wooden boards were lifted and Charles used a seven inch by two and half inch opening to escape, the police said.
It was when the police received the warrants around 3.30 pm and were ready to move the prisoners that they discovered that Charles had escaped.
Information later revealed that Charles, upon entering the courtyard had signalled to the occupants of two dark coloured cars, which were parked in proximity to the court. The drivers had then flashed their vehicle lights.
The police believe that Charles may have left in one of the cars, Greene had reported.
Meanwhile the mother of the fugitive has since denied any knowledge of whereabouts and said she was at work when her son made his court appearance. After work, the woman said, she went to meet her daughter and another son at Camp Street prison where they awaited Skinny’s return from Sparendaam to send in food for him.
After waiting for some time, she said, she was informed that her son had escaped. The woman also denied moving out from her home and said she was simply not at home at the time the Joint Services visited. She had said that she go to the police station yesterday as she had heard that she was wanted for questioning.
This newspaper could not confirm whether the woman had done so up to press time last night.
