TWO men charged in connection with the Bartica massacre and three others facing separate murder charges were, yesterday, each sentenced to imprisonment, on conviction for attempting to escape from the Camp Street, Georgetown Prison, in 2008. Previously, six high profile prisoners, Dennis Williams known as ‘Anaconda’, Mark Royden Roberts, Sherwin Nero, Paul Bagot, Jermaine Savory and Dwayne Archibald appeared in Court in January 2009.
But the last has since died and Nero faced another charge of escaping from lawful custody.
The quintet was tried by Magistrate Sueanna Lovell and Police Corporal Neville Jeffers, prosecuted the case over a period of approximately two years.
The men broke a window in the penitentiary, on December 28, 2008, with intent to set themselves free.
Five of the escapees were recaptured in the compound while Nero got over the wall but was apprehended in Rasville, another part of the city.
Nero was charged with the unlawful killing of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldier Ivor Williams and Cove and John, East Coast Demerara resident Kumar Singh and, reportedly, had links to the now dead fugitive Rondell ‘Fine Man’ Rawlins.
Williams and Roberts are accused of the February 17, 2008 murders of the 12 Bartica victims and Savory with having killed Melissa Payne of Agricola, East Bank Demerara.
Bagot, who was on remand while awaiting trial for the capital offence has since been acquitted in the High Court and Archibald, charged with drug trafficking, died in prison from stab wounds inflicted by another prisoner.
Williams, Roberts, Savory and Bagot were, individually, sentenced to three years imprisonment while Nero got two three-year terms, on two convictions for escaping from lawful custody and breaching the prison, to be served concurrently.