A key witness in the coroner’s inquest was yesterday advised to get an attorney for when he is recalled to testify following his continued reluctance to provide substantial information when questioned.
Prison guard, Sancto Kelly, was the officer responsible for transferring inmates Barry Parcoi, Forrester Bowe and Neil Brown back to Her Majesty’s Prison once they were recaptured in the Yamacraw Hill Road area early Tuesday, January 17, following a break from the facility, the court heard.
The inquest is being held into the deaths of prison guard, Corporal Dion Bowles, and Brown, who was a murder convict.
The witness testified driving the prison bus towards the female quarter, jumping over the wall and running towards Yamacraw once learning about the escape.
Officer Kelly said when he arrived on the scene, Officer Raoul Sergeant pointed out the prisoners; two of whom were lying on the ground while the other was sitting “in a squatting position, as if doing crutches.”
Officer Kelly said he was standing in front of the bus when the prisoners were assisted on the vehicle, but this was about all the witness was willing to tell the court.
When questioned continuously, he said he heard no gunshots while at the prison or at Yamacraw and did not see anyone assault any of the three prisoners.
He also told the court that while the prisoners were placed on the back of the bus, he could not say exactly where.
Despite the earlier testimony of several witnesses, Officer Kelly said that as the bus driver he could say whether Sergeant Sandy Mackey or ASP James Farrington was on the bus.
Over the past four weeks, jurors have heard that Sergeant Mackey got on the prison vehicle and fired a gunshot, fatally wounding Brown.
ASP Farrington has been named as the senior officer who instructed Officer Kelly to take the bus back to the prison, but that is not what Officer Kelly told the court.
Instead, jurors heard how the officer, who agreed with the suggestion that he was well trained, simply acted on instinct once the prisoners were on the bus and hearing voices saying, “Let’s go.”
“So, you just respond to voices,” Coroner Virgill said.
Officer Kelly also told the court that he only realized the back glass of the prison bus “had fallen out” once he was back at the prison.
But he said the glass was “constantly falling out.”
The witness said the authorities were aware of this and that inmates had tightened the screws on the glass “every morning.”
But Officer Kelly’s apparent reluctance to answer many questions resulted in Coroner Virgill chastising the witness, warning that he “stop talking foolishness.”
“This is an inquiry,” she said.
“Do not stand there as a trained officer and embarrass your colleagues-Were you drinking that night?-Either you are tone deaf or something is wrong,” the coroner said when the witness insisted he heard no gunshots despite being one of the first officers to arrive in the Yamacraw Road Hill area.
“-I don’t want to hear your well-rehearsed speech.”
After getting very little answers from the witness, the coroner advised Officer Kelly that he would be recalled and that during that time, he should appear with an attorney.
The prosecution had less of a struggle with the testimony of Emergency Medical Technician George Burrows Jr., who was responsible for treating Bowe and Parcoi at Her Majesty’s Prison once they were recaptured.
The witness also saw Brown, who he said suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, a fatal injury about four to eight centimeters below his left nipple.
Consistent with last week’s testimony of prison physician Darren Donaldson, the medical technician also told the court that Brown, whose feet were up on the bus seat and whose body was lying in the vehicle’s aisle way, had blood coming from his mouth, nose and head. The inmate was still handcuffed, according to the witness.
According to Mr. Burrows, Bowe had what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the back of his knee while Parcoi, who had on at least three to four short pants, had three gunshot wounds.
The witness told the court that Parcoi also suffered abrasions to his chest, a wound to the ear, and swelling to the top of his head.
When questioned as to what may have caused the ear injury and the swelling, the witness pointed out that Parcoi may have been hit with an object.
Also appearing in court on yesterday was Michael Kemp, the attorney for alleged drug dealer Dwight Major, who was named by an unidentified witness on Friday as one of the men who financed the daring escape that ended in the deaths of both Brown and Corporal Bowles.
The court has explained that if the evidence given is accepted, Major could be charged with conspiracy.
But prosecutor Neil Braithwaite expressed difficulty with Mr. Kemp asking questions, stressing that Major had not been accused of contributing to the deaths of any of the two men, the focus of the proceedings.
Testimony is expected to continue today at 10am.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
