Steve Bacchus, who prisoners say helped them escape from the fiery Capital A division at the Camp Street jail on March 3rd, yesterday testified that he and other inmates broke out of their dorm to mount a rescue after prison officials were not prompt in their efforts.
Bacchus, however, under cross-examination by Joint Services attorney Selwyn Pieters, did accept that the efforts to rescue the inmates was a joint one involving prison officials.
Bacchus, who has been credited by all the prisoners who previously testified before the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (CoI) as the person responsible for their lives being saved, was called to the witness stand at the Department of Public Service building yesterday to give his account of the fateful day, when 17 prisoners perished after the fire at the jail.
The 23-year-old Bacchus, who stated that he was convicted on a robbery charge and is serving a two-year sentence, had been among a group of inmates who broke out of the Old Capital building, located opposite the new Capital block, to go to the aid of trapped prisoners.
Those prisoners who were rescued, according to the witness testimonies presented so far, managed to stay alive by positioning themselves near a door at the back of the burning Capital A Block.
Bacchus recounted that it was after hearing the screams of the inmates coming from Capital A and seeing the thick smoke that he called on an officer, whom he named as “Crawford,” to open the door to the Old Capital section. He said the request was not heeded and that he and some other inmates of his division managed to break a hole in the side of the wall and exit. Bacchus did not, however, deny that there were efforts made on the part of prison officials to assist the inmates.
He stated that before breaking out of his dorm, he had witnessed two attempts by prison officers to open the door to the division. The first, he said, was when a warden had attempted to open the door to Capital A with a key. He recalled, however, seeing that same warden quickly pulling his hand back from the door and he assumed the man’s reaction may have been a result of the heat emanating from the building. He said that the warden eventually managed to get the key back out and returned downstairs. This action supposedly lasted less than two minutes.
The second attempt he noted, was when a prison official had tried to saw open the door, but to no avail. He was later told by that officer that the blade was dull and would not cut through the metal.
Yelling for help
When Bacchus managed to make his way out of the Old Capital, he ran along the catwalk of the New Capital building (Where Capital A and B are) calling for his close friend, Jermain Otto. His calls went unanswered but he eventually spotted prisoners lying at the door of the western side of the building, yelling for help. Bacchus related that he ran downstairs to inform the officers that there were still inmates alive in the building. Crawford, he said, then ran up the stairs to the division with a bunch of keys in hand and attempted to open the side door but the keys did not work.
According to Bacchus, he went to the front door and called for water to be thrown on the door to cool it down before attempts were made to wrench it open. This was done by himself and other inmates who had followed him out of the Old Capital. He said they were there for about five to six minutes before an officer came up with a key and joined the efforts to get the door open. The door eventually gave way after the inmates continuously kicked the bottom.
He said at the time, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kevin Pilgrim, the Deputy Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels and other officers were on the tarmac.
Under cross-examination by attorney Pieters, Bacchus went into detail about their rescue efforts and the bodies he discovered when he entered the building. In his estimation, he would have helped at least five inmates, including Michael Lewis, Owen Belfield, Samuel Alleyne and Rayon Paddy and Marcellous Verbeke, to get out. He related that these inmates were taken downstairs and handed over to officials.
Upon entering Capital A, Bacchus said he remembered seeing about nine bodies at the western corner to the front of the building, one directly in front of the door, another in the bathroom and one in the toilet. He also recalled seeing a skull on a bed frame next to the other bodies.
While Bacchus agreed with Pieters that the head of the individual was removed from its torso, the witness when asked whether he agreed that the head had been chopped off, said no, and suggested that perhaps it had been burnt off.
He also denied seeing any inmates with chop wounds and stated that all he noticed on their bodies were burn marks.
Conditions
Speaking on the conditions within the prison, the inmate started off by complimenting the current OC, Pilgrim. He stated that since Pilgrim’s takeover, the prison has been running quite smoothly. He noted that the OC, along with Director of Prisons Carl Graham, would pay a lot of interest to the concerns of inmates.
Bacchus further stated that since Pilgrim has been installed, prisoners have had increased access to sports and activities, such as drama groups. This strategy, he suggested, has kept the jail at a “calm level.”
Under re-examination by Commission Counsel Excellence Dazzell, Bacchus, who had earlier admitted that fires were lit in the Capital A Division in the past, was asked why this was done by inmates.
The witness said fires were sometimes lit to draw the attention of the authorities when there was need for speedier trials, or where inmates felt they were being victimised by police officers who wrongfully charged them. He explained that after these fires, they would be given the opportunity to speak to the authorities, who would assist them in any way they could, but noted that sometimes the issues were beyond the control of the OC. In the event that the complaints bordered on simpler issues, such as the provision of hygiene products or beds and mattresses, he said officers would try to meet these needs.
His only issue, he said, was that because of the overcrowding of the prison, there is not enough bed space. He gave his division as an example, while stating that prisoners are forced to share a bed.
Commenting on the prison food, which several inmates said they believe to be inadequate, Bacchus said he would not complain about it because, “whatever comes, I gotta rock with it.” He said too that the food has improved since Pilgrim’s tenure.
The CoI was set up by President David Granger to enquire into all of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the prisoners and to make recommendations on any action that should be taken to avoid a recurrence. It will also investigate, examine and report on the causes, circumstances and conditions that led to the fatal disturbances and also determine whether the conduct of the staff of the Guyana Prison Service in any way contributed to the prisoner deaths.
