Relatives believe he was killed, call for probe
A 47-year-old Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara man was discovered dead in the Brickdam Police Station lock-ups early yesterday morning with marks of violence about his body and his relatives believe that he sustained fatal injuries at the hands of the police.
Dead is James Nelson of Lot 7 Church Street, Stanleytown, a mason who has been suffering from mental problems over the years, but who would lead a normal life once he received treatment.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told Stabroek News that Nelson was arrested somewhere on Brickdam on Monday for behaving disorderly. He was detained at the Brickdam Police Station, Persaud said, and was discovered dead in a cell in the lock-ups, with bruises to his face.
James Nelson
A police press release issued later said Nelson was arrested around 10 am on Monday after he entered the compound of the Ministry of Home Affairs and began behaving disorderly, allegedly over a sum of money owed to him by a contractor who had sent him off the job.
The release said he was spoken to by a Special Constabulary officer on duty but continued to behave in a disorderly manner and had to be restrained. The rank subsequently arrested him and handed him over to a police patrol that had been summoned.
The release added that having passed through the procedures for prisoners at the Brickdam Police Station, Nelson was placed in the lock-ups where he remained throughout the night. There were 20 other prisoners in the lock-ups for various offences.
However, around 6.30 am yesterday, acting on information received from a prisoner, police ranks entered the lock-ups and found Nelson lying motionless in his cell. He was picked up and taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An examination of the body revealed a bruise over his right eye and a small cut over his left eye.
Other prisoners were questioned and they told the police that during the night Nelson was seen banging his head against the wall of the lock-ups.
Contact was made with his sister Michelle Nelson of ‘D’ Field, Sophia, the police said, who confirmed that he would suffer from nervous breakdowns from time to time.
The release said that a post-mortem examination would be conducted today.
Yesterday relatives expressed shock at the man’s sudden demise and complained about the way police officers at the station treated them.
Many persons gathered outside the locked station gates as the news of Nelson’s death spread. Nelson’s wife Gloria told this newspaper that when she and other relatives arrived, the police took statements from them and they were told that they would see his body when the hearse arrived to take it away. However, the police did not keep their word; everyone was ordered out of the compound and the gate locked, she related.
Gloria said her husband’s eldest son from a previous union later saw the body and told her that Nelson’s face and hands were badly swollen, there were marks on his hands and there was also a gaping wound to the back of the head. She was adamant that Nelson would have been badly beaten and said she did not believe that the prisoners who were in the same cell did it. This was also the opinion of the other relatives.
Mental problems
Gloria said Nelson would suffer mental problems at least once a year, but he would be taken to the Psychiatric Clinic at the Georgetown Hospital or a private psychiatrist for treatment. Within a week, he would be back to his old self, she added.
Recounting his recent episode, she said the man fell ill last Thursday and though he was acting normally she could tell that something was wrong with him. They made plans to have the man seek medical attention on Monday. He was last seen early Sunday night, Gloria said, adding that when she contacted the man’s son on Monday morning, Nelson could not be located.
No one knew of the man’s whereabouts until the son received a telephone call some time after six on Tuesday morning saying that he was in the lock-ups.
About half an hour later, the son got another call informing him that his father was dead.
According to the woman, immediate contact was made with other relatives and they all made their way to the station where they were sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to give statements.
She told this newspaper that they were then informed that they would have a chance to identify the body, which was still lying in the lock-ups.
However, that never happened, as everyone was told that they had to leave.
“They put everybody out of the yard. They tell we how they don’t want everybody in the compound and that everybody must go on the road. Then they lock up the gate,” she said.
Commenting on what may have sparked the man’s arrest, she said he may have been attempting to see an official at the ministry and when he was told that he could not he probably “started to behave bad”.
She said it might have been at this point that the police became involved in the matter
“They know everything that transpired in there. They know how he died… They didn’t want us to see him in that state that was why we were not shown the body,” the grieving widow said.
“We want justice for Jimmy. He [was] not a criminal for them to beat he so”, another relative said.
Stabroek News understands that statements were also taken from the other prisoners who were in the same cell with Nelson. His relatives are calling for a thorough investigation into the incident so that those responsible can be held accountable.
There have been several cases recently of prisoners dying under suspicious circumstances while in police custody. On January 17, Ramesh Sawh was found hanging by his jersey in a cell at the Enmore lock-ups. Police denied claims that the man was beaten while in police custody.
In July, Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang ordered that the magistrate presiding at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court hold an inquest into the death.
To date it has not started since it had to be postponed on two occasions owing to the absence of the jury and witnesses.
In June Surindranauth Bhoojnauth was found hanging by his belt in the Mahaica Police Station lock-ups. His relatives had said they found it odd that the belt and other items were not taken away from him, as is customary when placing someone in the lock-ups. A senior police at the station was questioned but nothing came out of the matter.
Wow, this is so unreal and its not the first time this has happened. If anyone is really sick and you are detained in Brickdam Lock-Ups , you will die!! The police mean and women stationed there can sometimes be harsh and inhumane towards prisioners. Below i have extraced a piece which i have written a few months back based on that horrible place.
Have you ever wondered what happens in Hell? Well, the most suitable place to experience this phenomenon is right here in Guyana, at the Brickdam Lock-ups.
Words cannot explain the stench and filth that one has to endure while staying at this ‘weekend hell hole’. More importantly is the fact that those who have spent time there are at risk of possibly being exposed to a new form of disease that may be worse than leprosy and tuberculosis.
The fact that the only source of light is a street bulb which pushes enough heat to fry an egg, day or night, is enough evidence that the facility is in dire need of more lights in order to keep the environment safe and clean. There are no facilities for one to ease one’s bowels, forcing the prisoners to use empty food boxes to defecate.
These boxes are then left in the unoccupied cells, thus forcing everyone to the front of the lock-up and creating a sardine-like effect at the entrance similar to the days of slavery across the Atlantic Ocean.
At the entrance inside the lock-up there is a small hole, which one is forced to use in order to urinate because the toilets that were provided are now nine feet high in human waste, and I was made to understand that this hasn’t been cleaned for at least three or more years, or even longer.
We must not forget also, that humans are forced to digest whatever food or water is brought by their families in this same environment, where it is hard to breathe this foul air.
If you think that your bed at home is no good, then try getting some rest on the cold concrete with the stench of filth constantly engulfing you. It’s only fair to say now, without fear of contradiction, that the Brickdam Lock-ups is a violation of all human rights and needs to be blown completely off the face of this globe.
In other words, it’s worse than a German concentration camp.
“There were 20 other prisoners in the lock-ups for various offences.”
Seems that having so many people in a lock up is encouraging violence
against each other.
I am assuming that there were 20 in one place.
Why is there no monitoring of the lockups when there are so many
there at a time.
Seems like another form of casual indifference.
We lock you up, only another power greater than ours could help you !
Twenty?? thats nothing, sometimes there are SEVENTY, ……………….YES I DID SAID SEVENTY!!!
Not again!
sad sad sad sad do they have a training school for police in guyana i,m kind of confuse as to what is the procedure when arresting a person .this sound like cold blood murder , im a law enforcement officer an i find it kind of strange what i,m reading EVIL EYE I LOVE TO READ YOUR BLOG PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THE PROCEDURE FOR ME THANK YOU
Do mentally deranged people go to prison or are they examined by a psychiatrist & taken to an institution for people with mental issues??? To me this once again proves the average IQ, that of a flea, that our foolice has. A man with known mental issues is arrested then turns up dead. This could be the result of; 1) Banging his own head against the walls as a ‘madman’ in a fit of rage, or 2) Being beaten by cops who would’ve been telling him to be quiet & got tired of his ranting & raving. If so be the case, whoever is responsible should be dealt with like a criminal. This individual, though he had his issues, was actually working & the reason for his arrest was because his employers at teh MoHA refused to pay him. A workman is worthy of is dues & whether derranged or not he should be treated with the respect he deserves as a human & worker.
There is a special section in Camp Street Jail for mad people. How they defend themselves in court i dont know!!
the police will have to come clean on this one, if not all blame will fall on them and the consequence will have to be paid.
IS THERE A VOICE IN GUYANA THAT WILL STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT , HOW LONG MORE MUST WE SUFFER THIS KIND OF MURDEROUS ABUSE BY THOSE WHO ARE SUPPOSE TO BE UP HOLDING THE LAW .
WHEN ITS NOT THE POLICE DISGUISING AS A CROOK AND PUTTING ILLEGAL ROAD BLOCK TO ROB THE PUBLIC , ITS THE POLICE UP LIFTING FIRE ARMS WHEN OFF DUTY .
WHEN ITS NOT THAT ITS THE KILLING THE INNOCENT AND ALWAYS SHIFTING THE BLAME ON OTHERS .
WHY IS THIS GOVEREMENT SO BITTER AGAINST IT’S OWN PEOPLE
There is a voice, now you wanna support me while i stand up and fight for this country or are you just playing Digicel….Bla Bla Bla
Stand up and do what?? Haven’t you been keeping up wit the happenings here either recently or for any period you may want to choose?
Don’t you realise that it is standard operating procedure to harass and PERSECUTE anyone who speaks out too loudly about anything??
Don’t believe – Ask Sandhurst for starters!
The post mortem will reveal the truth, and if murdered, the police will have to take their responsibility, and the executioners will have to pay for their crimen.
Where are the Human Rights Watch or Observatory International?,,,, that supposed to be monitoring and not seeing,, the Inhumane conditions that’s prevalent in this Brickdam lock-ups..
post mortem doesnt always reveal the truth remember when that young man died while playing basketball….the results were inclusive. now what you wanna bet that this may yeild the same results?
The unfortunate thing is that anyone who finds him/herself in the hands of the police is deemed a criminal. You are placed in the ‘pen’ with all the other ‘animals’ ,all crammed into the same enclosure will only evoke the beast instinct in anyone. It becomes survival of the fittest and the weak becomes a statistic on the wall of the morgue. The amazing thing is whether you fall prey at the hands of the ‘pound keeper’ or your fellow ‘impounded’ , your snuffed out spirit will haunt the putrid filled cells with all the others who have fallen before you, howling for justice, all in vain, seemingly.
I blogged before that I wanted nothing to do with the police because I might innocently join the ghost of James Nelson and the rest that are roaming arounding the different lockups and prisons, calling for justice. I did not mean I am not willing to help the police fight crime like fellow blogger thought, I just don’t want to he hauled off and tossed into a cell to breathe my last breath.
A PRISON……………….. “a building used to confine criminals or people awaiting trial”.
A PRISONER …………….. “a person kept in prison.” (Oxford Dictionary)
A word of caution to those who would jump to the conclusion that he was a criminal and therefore show indifference to his untimely demise.
The reality is, anyone of us bloggers, or a relative for that matter could get into a scuffle of some sort and end up in the Brickdam lock ups for “processing”…………scary eh?
Once again, another bit of disgraceful news from the homeland.
By the way, we look forward to hearing from our “Human Rights Groups” on this one.
I basically said the same thing my friend, you are right on the ball.