The three prison officers currently on suspension following last year's deadly jailbreak claim they are being used as "scapegoats".
Meanwhile, the men said the Prison officer/s actually responsible for getting guns and a grenade into the jail and in the hands of the prisoners is still on active duty and that is frightening.
One of the suspended officers, who spoke with the Sunday Guardian under condition of strict anonymity, said this situation should be of serious concern to everyone.
It has been 16 months since since three prisoners–Allan 'Scanny' Martin, Hassan Atwell and Christopher 'Monster' Selby escaped from the Port-of-Spain prison on July 24 last year.
Police officer Sherman Maynard was shot dead during the incident while Prison officer Leon Rouse was shot and wounded. Martin was killed during a shoot-out with law enforcement, and Atwell was murdered after hiding out in Port-of-Spain. Selby eventually surrendered himself to officers at the Barataria Police Station.
The prison break occurred six months after the executive of the Prison Service were informed of a possible escape from the prison during one of its meetings at the Prison's Administration Building, Phillip Street, Port-of-Spain.
On August 2, acting superintendent of prison Wilber Lovell, along with two prison officer IIs, Lancelot Duntin and Mervyn Pierre, were suspended for the jailbreak.
The suspended officer who spoke to the Sunday Guardian claimed he had nothing to do with the prison escape.
"The impression that Trinidad and Tobago has is that we gave the prisoners guns. I might have gotten shot. We tried to frustrate the escape but everyone has it that we tried to facilitate it. In the whole scheme of things the only persons that actually tried to stop the escape is the three persons who were suspended and whose names are being tarnished globally," the suspended officer said.
"I put my life on the line for the State. I was shot at and the very State does not even want to hear the matter. I was shot at and it is very traumatic to put your life on the line for a society for 20 years and when you are asking now for just the opportunity for people to hear what you have to say nobody wants to hear the story. I never see that yet," he said.
Another suspended officer told the Sunday Guardian: "I am totally disappointed with the Service Commission...with their lack of respect for people's lives. It is unreasonable for us to say to you or anybody that we are innocent and expect people to believe us. It is unreasonable for us to ask anyone to think we are innocent. All we are saying is let the course of justice prevail.
"Almost a year and half has gone and nothing substantial has been done. There has been callous, uncaring behaviour from the Service Commission with respect to us and that is not right. How can they simply see a year in a man's life as nothing. To be treated like this after serving my country for so long is really unacceptable, but our hands are tied and nobody seems to want to listen to us, nobody seems to want to hear our cry."
Today the Sunday Guardian gives you the officer's side of the story with respect to the prison break.
'It was like a movie'
Duntin was the person in charge of visits to prisoners at the Port-of-Spain prison on July 24, last year, when that prison's only high-risk inmate got a visit around 12.20 pm that day.
Duntin called acting superintendent Lovell, and informed him about the visit as special procedures are put in place for visits to that inmate.
Martin and Atwell were also supposed to receive visitors around that time and Lovell told Duntin not to let them (Martin and Atwell) come out together.
Pierre was on his way home after finishing his shift and Duntin asked him for assistance with Martin and Atwell.
However, by the time Duntin and Pierre called to ascertain the whereabouts of Martin and Atwell they were told that the duo had already been let out of their cells together for their visits.
"In prison when we hear separate two inmates we are looking to expect the two of them going to stab up somebody, the two of them going and fight or some kind of thing," the suspended officer said.
When Duntin and Pierre went to the area where the inmates meet their visitors there were 11 prisoners there.
Seven of the inmates were using the functioning phones and four including Martin were standing in the corridor waiting.
That is when the shooting started.
Video footage from CCTV cameras inside the prison showing the jailbreak went viral last year.
The video showed inmates shooting their way out of the prison.
A prison officer who had a high-powered rifle fired two shots at the inmates but the gun eventually jammed.
"My life was at risk. I saw a female officer was on the ground bawling. It was like a movie going on in front my eyes. Then they were out the gate timing the guy bringing out the prisoners' visit bags,"
The three inmates escaped around 12.30 pm.
The officers on duty left the prison around 10.30 pm trying to bring normalcy back to the jail.
"It was very traumatic," the suspended officer said.
Despite all this, the officer said no one wants to hear his side of the story.
"I'm just asking for fair play. Don't presume me guilty. All I am asking is let the truth be told. I have nothing to hide. If Scanny and them had a chance they would have killed me in a one," he said.
So how did the guns get inside the prison?
The suspended officer said Martin pulled the gun he used in the jailbreak out of his waist.
How did Martin get the gun?
"I don't know but let me tell you what I know, I know a prison officer brought it. The guns came in either by a or a group of prison officers. I don't know who they are but I know that they are still on active duty. How I know that? Because these three persons who are on suspension were not involved," the officer said.
The officer is calling for the Public Service Commission (PSC) to set up the tribunal to deal with disciplinary action against all three suspended officers.
"Appoint the tribunal and show the public that you mean to bring errant officers to justice. So if I am errant then I will take whatever is coming. There is too much information in the public domain. I am not looking for an innocent, I am looking for the facts to be heard," he said.
Last month, the Prison Officers Association issued a release signed by its president Ceron Richards in which it stated that the association was "concerned and deeply disappointed" in the investigation into the prison break. Two week ago he again raised the issue.
Richards said that even after a year and a half after the incident the police had not questioned any of the suspended prison officers with respect to the matter.
The suspended officer who spoke to the Sunday Guardian confirmed that this was indeed so.
Richards said the Prison Administration's investigation into the matter appears to be merely a "witch hunt" rather than a "serious effort to bring the person or persons responsible to account for their role/s in the incident".
Speaking during a Joint Select Committee on national security last week, committee chairman Fitzgerald Hinds stated that on October 6 the PSC set up a Disciplinary Tribunal to determine what action should be brought against the suspended officers.
However, on December 6, the PSC cancelled the tribunal following the resignation of one of its members.
PRISON BREAK TIMELINE JANUARY 27, 2015:
The executive of the Prison Service were informed of an alleged prison break during one of its meetings at the Prison's Administration Building, Phillip Street, Port-of-Spain.
The senior officers who attended the meeting included former prison commissioner Conrad Barrow, deputy commissioners Ronald Morgan and Sterling Stewart (now commissioner), assistant commissioners William Alexander, Michael Walker, Cecil Duke and Chander Sinanan, and senior superintendents Gerard Wilson, Dane Clarke, Thomas Espinoza, Fize Khan and Dennis Pulchan.
July 24, 2015:
Allan 'Scanny' Martin, Hassan Atwell and Christopher 'Monster' Selby escaped from the Port of Spain prison.
Prison officer Leon Rouse was shot and wounded. PC Sherman Maynard was killed in the fracas.
Martin was also killed.
July 27, 2015:
Around 12.30 a.m. Atwell was reportedly shot dead by members of the Rastacity gang after hiding out in Port-of-Spain.
Around 7.30 p.m. Selby walked into the Barataria Police Station and surrendered.
August 2, 2015:
Acting superintendent of prison Wilber Lovell, along with two prison officer IIs, Lancelot Duntin and Mervyn Pierre, were suspended for the jailbreak.
October 2, 2015:
Assistant Commissioner of Prison Dennis Pulchan conducted an investigation as required by the Prison Service regulations and submitted a report of the Public Service Commission.
Pulchan was in attendance at the January 27, 2015 meeting of the Prison Service executive when they were warned of the prison break.
August 16, 2016:
The PSC referred the matter to a disciplinary tribunal.
August 30, 2016:
The PSC decided that Pulchan followed the proper procedure.
October 6, 2016:
The members of the Disciplinary tribunal were formed.
October 13, 2016:
A member of the tribunal resigned.
December 6, 2016:
The PSC cancelled the appointment of the entire tribunal and signalled its intention to appoint another tribunal.