Yvonne Beckles, the mother of Deon Greenidge who is currently serving a life sentence at the Camp Street Prison claims that her son has been starved of food for about two weeks now after he complained about being served mouldy bread and sour food.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday on the phone, Beckles said that her son, who has been in prison since 2009 after he was found guilty of a murder/robbery, is being treated unfairly and “should not have to suffer twice.”
Prison officials could not be reached yesterday for comment.
She said that she is deeply concerned about the conditions in which her son is being kept and when she tried to visit him, she was not allowed to do so. “I was passing by the court one day and I saw one of the boys he was in prison with and I talk to he and he said that he [Greenidge] wasn’t eating and I became worried,” Beckles said.
She recounted that after she was alerted of what was happening to her son, she attempted to visit the prison and was turned down. “When I went they tell me that he’s only entitled to two visits a month and it wasn’t like that, that was never the arrangements,” the woman said, recalling that the original visiting time was twice a week.
Beckles related that after she was not allowed to visit her son, she sought the help of an attorney who was successful in visiting her son and brought her the news of her son’s dilemma.
The woman said that Greenidge told the attorney that he was given mildewed bread and sour food on several occasions and after several complaints, nothing was done. “He told the attorney that it continued over a period of time and on October 12, he requested to see the officer in charge of the prison and instead of the officer, a senior rank came and behaved in a rude manner,” she related.
“The officer did not take any complaint and refused to listen to what he had to say. He said that the rank behaved hoggish and when he asked why they giving him mildewed bread and sour food to eat, the officer said ‘you have to eat whatever I give you to eat’,” the woman added.
She said that at this point, her son stopped receiving food and no one listened to his complaints. Beckles said that Greenidge, after that point, became fearful for his life and refused to move from his cell until the person in charge had listened to his plea. She said that after a few days, two ranks came to him and forcibly moved him to another cell where one of his ‘enemies’ was. She said that the cell was also nasty and Greenidge was unable to breathe properly given the stench.
According to Beckles, two days after, he was visited by the officer in charge and he stated that the officer indicated to him that he was never told of any request. “My son has since written a letter to the Ombudsman seeking help and the officer in charge after a lengthy conversation with the lawyer promised that my son was going to be confined to his cell until the situation is dealt with,” Beckles said. She added that all she wants is for her son to be placed in his old cell and to have proper food.
