After permanently losing the use of his left hand following a shooting incident in September 2002, a 58-year-old retired prison officer is calling on the authorities to pay the compensation recommended by the Attorney General’s Chambers some time after the incident.
Lloyd Bruce of 68 South Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara told Stabroek News recently that he has reached a near state of frustration after visiting the relevant ministries almost on a daily basis. According to the man, he and a few other members of the Ex-Prison Officers Club were at the club’s premises on the evening of September 26, 2002 when six assailants invaded and shot up the premises.
He was struck in the left hand during the melee with a high powered round and subsequently lost 90% use of the limb.
When the Ministry of Home Affairs was contacted on the matter recently, this newspaper was told to contact the office of the Permanent Secretary (PS) on the matter. However, several attempts to obtain a comment from the PS have been in vain.
According to Bruce, some time after the incident he met then home affairs minister Ronald Gajraj, who listened to him and expressed his sympathy on hearing about the incident. Gajraj referred him to the Legal Affairs Ministry where he met and spoke to Attorney General Doodnauth Singh who took his particulars. Magistrate Nigel Hawke, then an attorney-at-law attached to the Legal Affairs Ministry was assigned to his case.
Ex-gratia payment to Bruce in the sum of $1.5 million was recommended in correspondence from the Legal Affairs Ministry and seen by this newspaper. The letter said the recommended sum was “fair and reasonable having regard to all the circumstances in the matter”.
Bruce told Stabroek News that a letter to this effect was sent to then home affairs minister Gail Teixiera, who had replaced Gajraj. Since then, he has since been visiting the Home Affairs Ministry seeking the compensation recommended for him.
He possesses a police medical certificate as well as a medical report issued by the Georgetown Public Hospital dated September 26, 2002, which stated that he arrived at the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital on the day of the incident with an extensive wound, contaminated with numerous pellets and exposed tendons and he was subsequently admitted to the institution. The report, which was signed by a doctor who attended to him, stated that there were multiple fractures noticed on the carpel bones, hence, surgical toileting was done following which the injured hand was placed in a cast. The report stated that the man developed further infections to the wound and had further surgical toileting done. He was discharged from the hospital on October 11, 2002.
Following his discharge from the hospital, the report stated, the wounds to the man’s hand healed with multiple pellets still present in the wrist. The report noted that despite doing tendon release on March 23, 2003 and physiotherapy, Bruce had developed almost complete fusions to the fingers on his dominant hand.
Bruce has since met Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee who said he had to check with the ministry on the matter. He advised Bruce to contact Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon, who subsequently informed that the matter had to be discussed at the Cabinet level. Bruce said he also wrote to President Bharrat Jagdeo in January last year on the matter but never got a response.
In the meantime, he said the injury has economically hampered his contribution to his family’s welfare as he is unable to use his left hand for basic essentials. He currently does menial jobs.