More than one month after remanded prisoner Shawn Thom died after complaining of feeling unwell, his family believes that the real circumstances surrounding his death have been concealed.
Thom, 37, formerly of Lot 128 Third Street, Alexander Village succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) on March 6, after he complained to prison officials of feeling unwell on March 3. On that day, 17 persons died in a fire during unrest at the Camp Street prison.
Speaking to Stabroek News, his brother-in-law Conrade (only name given), expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which Thom died. He said his hope for justice has faded since. To date, relatives have not been provided with Thom’s cause of death.
Conrade believes that the family were denied the right to request a post-mortem examination since the State was in control of all decisions regarding Thom’s remains. “They say he is a remanded prisoner and we can’t get he or even got any saying,” he recalled being told. He questioned, even if that was the case, why was an autopsy not done.
A police source when contacted on Saturday, told Stabroek News that Thom died as a result of a heart attack.
According to Conrade, the last time relatives heard from Thom was when he called his reputed wife days before his death. “He was a person that never like to talk too much so when he call, he tell she hurry and get things back in order and bring self-support because them people in there want kill him,” Conrade recalled while noting that a reason for such a statement was not given by Thom.
The still distraught relative said although Thom fell ill and was taken to the hospital, the family was not informed by the prison. It was an individual who is known to them who visited the hospital one afternoon and saw Thom admitted as a patient, who informed them.
“We call on March 3 when we hear the prison got fire to find out how he was doing and they said he was doing well, little (did) we knew he was already taken to the hospital that said morning,” said Conrade.
When the family was informed that Thom was at the medical institution, the only cause they could have thought of was his injured foot which was in a cast after he was shot.
This injury, they said, was not treated for a month after Thom had reportedly misplaced his clinic card. During this period, the wound worsened. “When they do take him, they take off the cast and if you see this foot, the only thing lef to do is to cut it out because it was rotten,” Conrade said.
He declared that even if the “poisoned foot” had contributed to Thom’s death, the family will never be convinced.
While he was at the GPH mortuary, Conrade related, Thom’s body was among some of the inmates that perished in the fire at the prison. “They cut all the 17 prisoners. Thom body was right there at the GPH and I was there when a man did passing orders and he tell the people that Thom body is not for any post-mortem,” Conrade recalled.
Determined to get answers, the family even paid $5000 for a medical record but to date, it has not been provided. “Every time we go and enquire what’s happening, we are being pushed around,” he said.
His reputed wife was contacted days after his death and was told of his funeral and she insisted that it be held the following weekend.
“They (authorities) hurry and do everything, they even sponsor most of the thing, is only he clothes we buy for him, and when I do look back at it, it’s like they just try fuh get rid of the body before we go further and they had to do post-mortem and get new findings,” Conrade said.
Thom was charged last October with discharging a loaded firearm at an off-duty police officer. The allegation against him is that on October 7 in Kitty, he unlawfully and maliciously discharged a loaded firearm at Prem Narine with the intent to maim, disfigure or cause him actual bodily harm.
Thom was thought to be part of a crew trailing travellers from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri into the city in October 2015 when he was shot during a confrontation.
He had been acquitted last year of the 2010 East Coast murder of Lakeram Bishundial.
