PHILIPSBURG--An inmate at Pointe Blanche prison, confined in an isolation cell, was attacked and injured by two masked men dressed in prison uniforms. This was revealed during the Council of Ministers’ press briefing on Wednesday by Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis, who has initiated an investigation into the incident.
Lewis received a call on Sunday, May 26, from an individual outside the prison reporting that an inmate had been severely beaten in the isolation cell. “I contacted the prison director, who confirmed the incident and informed me that the inmate had been transported to St. Maarten Medical Center for treatment of his injuries,” said Lewis. He visited the hospital to hear directly from the injured prisoner about the attack.
It was confirmed that the beating took place while the prisoner was in isolation. This raises serious questions, Lewis said. “How did the assailants reach him? As I entered the isolation cell myself, it became clear that you have to go through three doors. Yet, this prisoner was severely assaulted.”
He emphasised the gravity of the situation, suggesting that corruption within the prison had facilitated the attack. “Who let those two assailants into the isolation cell? The persons responsible for guarding the prison are the prison guards. So how could the two assailants, who were masked and dressed in khaki clothing, enter an isolation cell that has strict protocols for access?”
Lewis, a former detective, expressed his determination to address corruption within the prison system. “I am aware of the different types of corruption endangering safety in the prison, and I plan to root it out of our system.”
He has requested the watch report from Sunday, as well as the names of the prison guards on duty that day. “I am waiting for that information so I can proceed,” he said. He plans to take punitive action against those responsible.
