APR 24

Police investigators are trying to determine how the escape convicted murderer Sheldon "Dutch" Bain obtained a sharpened apparatus to cut the iron bars of his prison cell and flee the Richmond Hill prison.

Speculation is rife that Bain used a hacksaw blade to cut the one-inch iron bars which makes up part of the cell and moved out of the prison compound before Prison Guards discovered that he was missing.

Two weeks ago, Bain, along with Elvon Barry, Zody Clement and Kenton Phillip were convicted in the High Court for the 2003 murder of trafficker, Omelia Roberts who was gunned down in front of her children at their home in Belmont, St. George's.

High court judge Justice Kenneth Benjamin ordered that the four convicts be remanded in custody and await their sentencing on June 2. An inmate on remand at the prison told GRENADA TODAY this week that the escapee had always indicated that he will not die in prison.

He blamed the lack of proper security measures in place at the prison for the escape of the feared "Dutch" who is said by police to be armed and dangerous.

According to the inmate, prison officials need to put in place a strict search and security system since it is no secret that a number of inmates often smuggle a number of illegal things onto the compound. He said that the authorities do not carry out regular searches of cells and this should be done in order to make both inmates and employees feel safe in prison.

The prisoner also suggested that those in charge of the prison install more high-beam lights both in and around the compound as an extra security measure.

One day before Bain and his colleagues were convicted for Roberts' murder, a remand prisoner had sent a letter to this newspaper complaining about what he termed serious security breaches at the prisons.

He said those issues needed urgent attention and called on Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Keith Mitchell to look into the matter. The prisoner described the attitude and conduct of some prison officials as being very careless when it comes to security and safety of inmates and visitors.

He said that notorious murder convict Kyron Mc. Farlene of Carriacou, who should be in solitary confinement after being sentenced to death for the murder of a Swedish couple a few years ago is allowed to roam the prison compound.

"Mc Fallen should be in solitary confinement (but) instead he is always walking around with the keys for the building....", the inmate said in the letter.

"He (Mc Farlene) always makes explicit statements that he is in control of the jail and he intends to make prisoners (life in) jail hard", it added.

GRENADA TODAY attempted to reach the office of the Prime Minister for comment but was told that spokesperson who is Permanent Secretary Abel Newton was not available for comment.