Those persons including Guyana Prison Service (GPS) officers who are accused of aiding and abetting the escape of now-deceased notorious convict, Mark Royden Williams called ‘Smallie’ have been granted bail in the sum of $750,000.
The defendants, Rajmohan Autor called ‘Chico’, 48, a businessman of Parika, East Bank Essequibo; Frangeliz Jugandry Flores Perez, 28, a Venezuelan national of Kitty, Georgetown; Omar Witherspoon, 26 of Stan-leytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice; Conroy Hosan-nah, 35, of East Canje, Berbice; Oldfield Romulus, 50, of Victoria Cumberland Village, East Canje, Berbice; and Alexander Hopkinson, 59, of Bartica Housing Scheme appeared before Magistrate Crystal Lambert yesterday, at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court to answer to their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to aid the escape of death row inmate and convicted mass murderer, Williams.
Hopkinson who is the Superintendent of Prisons at the Mazaruni Prison, and Romulus, the second-in-command, were represented by attorney-at-law, Bernard DaSilva.
Bail was granted in the sum of $750,000 for each of the defendants and they are expected to make their next court appearance on July 18, 2023.
In a daring daylight operation, Williams, assisted by men with high-powered weapons in a speedboat, escaped from the Mazaruni Prison on May 19. The convicted mass murderer escaped while being escorted back from a visit. The escort party was fired upon by men with AK-47 automatic rifles inside a boat in the Mazaruni River.
The boat and its occupants, including Williams, proceeded upstream past Itaballi landing, while prison guards with police in support, undertook pursuit.
Days later, the aforementioned accused were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony. They all denied the allegation.
Williams was eventually shot and killed by law enforcement officials on June 1. He was convicted of murders stemming from the Bartica massacre in 2008, when he, along with other gunmen, ambushed and killed twelve persons, including three policemen. Additionally, he had been sentenced to death in September last year over the killing on January 23, 2008, of Guyana Defence Force Corporal Ivor Williams.
He had previously escaped from the Camp Street Prison on July 09, 2017, but was recaptured on October 10, 2017, on the Weldaad Public Road, West Coast Berbice.
