TCI: Three prison guards suspended for allegedly helping murder accused, woman officer among them

#Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, May 9, 2018 – Three prison officers were on Monday suspended after being caught for allegedly helping an inmate to smuggle contraband into the facility in Grand Turk.

The suspensions have been confirmed by the Minister of Home Affairs, but nothing else is being reported to Magnetic Media by Hon Delroy Williams.

Two males and one female officer have been sent home, though it is said they have not yet faced charges formally at court for allegedly assisting a murder suspect on remand, with obtaining a cell phone and other items.  

The suspensions come weeks after a revealing look into the life of some of the prisoners housed at Her Majesty’s Prison in the Capital.  The broadcast from the prison facility was live on FaceBook and featured inmates, unabashedly bearing their faces, asking for sexual favours, smoking, swearing and freely running about the ‘block’ which is home to the more serious offenders.

There has been little said about the prison-wide search which subsequently followed the April 6 incident, condemned by the Ministry as blatantly disrespect of the rules of Her Majesty’s Prison.  

It was unclear what was uncovered during that scour, but mere weeks later, on April 13, 2018, a convicted sex offender was charged with crime after he was caught, by prison guards, attempting to smuggle marijuana into HMP.  The inmate, said to be off the prison compound as a part of HMP’s farm program, did not fight the charges and plead guilty to unlawful possession of a controlled drug.

The trio of Prison Guards are said to be suspended with pay.