The T&T Police Service (TTPS) has started its investigation into the death of murder accused Sherlon Brown, who died several days after being injured in a fracas at the Port-of-Spain State Prison last Tuesday.
The probe, being conducted by detectives of the Port-of-Spain Criminal Investigations Department (CID), was announced by the TTPS in a press release issued on Saturday evening.
The release stated that five inmates and 17 prison officers were injured during the incident, which occurred around 11 am.
“The injured inmates were taken to Port-of-Spain General Hospital for medical attention where they were treated and later discharged,” it said.
“Interviews were also conducted with the injured prison officers, while they were being treated for their injuries,” it added.
Brown, who was reportedly in a coma when he was admitted at the hospital, died on Friday morning.
Speaking with Guardian Media hours after learning of her son’s death, Brown’s mother vowed to take legal action over what transpired. She also indicated that she was interested in having a second autopsy after one is performed at the Forensic Science Centre this week.
Brown, of Long Circular Road, St James, first entered the prison in late October 2020, when he was remanded into custody after being charged alongside two men with murdering 22-year-old Joshua Fortune.
Fortune was shot dead near his home on Balbadie Hill, Belle Vue, Long Circular, St James, on September 18, 2019.
In a press release after the incident last week, the T&T Prison Service claimed it stemmed from a dispute between a prisoner and a prison officer.
“It was reported that the inmate refused to obey lawful instructions to return to his cell. He became violent and uncontrollable,” it said.
“The officer attempted to have the inmate manage his emotions and return to the cell. However, the officer was assaulted. The officer had no choice but to defend himself and other inmates in the vicinity chose this incident to rally around, causing a fracas,” it added.
However, lawyers for three of the injured prisoners gave an alternative version in a lawsuit over them being transferred to other prison facilities after being discharged from hospital. They claimed prison officers were physically abusing a Muslim prisoner with epilepsy and another Muslim prisoner objected, leading to both of them being beaten. They claimed the men ran into a cell which contained other prisoners and they too were attacked by the prison officers.
On Thursday, Justice Margaret Mohammed held a hearing in which Ayokie Charles, Kerry Valentino and Ray Paul Julien were presented before the court, albeit virtually from video conferencing facilities at the Remand Yard facility at the Golden Grove State Prison and the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca. All three men had visible signs of the injuries they sustained in the incident, including blood-stained clothing. The inmates had bandages to their heads, while two had casts on one of the arms. Julien also had a broken leg as he sat in a wheelchair while grimacing throughout the hearing.
Their habeas corpus writ was eventually dismissed, as Justice Mohammed ruled their transfers were lawful.