Eight prison escapees at large- Prisons Director

Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 July 2017, 15:35 by Denis Chabrol

Nine prisoners were up to Tuesday afternoon believed to have escaped from the Georgetown Prison at the time of Sunday afternoon’s fire that destroyed the penal facility.

The Guyana government’s Department of Public Information (DPI) said one of the nine prisoners has since been recaptured.

Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels was quoted as saying that eight “fugitives on the run.

The prison escapees include
Uree Varswyck aka Malcolm Gordon charged with robbery-murder, Bartica massacre convict Mark Royden Durant also Royden Williams and Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander

The DPI said the Guyana Police Force will issue wanted bulletins for the other five fugitives shortly. Previously, police and prison officials had maintained that only five prisoners had escaped. However, one who had not been listed among the five was caught during the pre-dawn hours of Monday and another at West Demerara on Monday night.

More than 800 of the estimated 1,000 prisoners, who were evacuated Sunday night from the Camp Street jail, are still at highly secured pasture. Almost two hundred have since been relocated to other jails or released on their own recognisance.

The Civil Defence Commission has been assisting with emergency supplies to the inmates.