QUICK response and nimble thinking by ranks at the Leonora Police Station and the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, yesterday, averted what could have been devastation for contiguous West Coast Demerara communities and embarrassment for the Guyana Police Force.

Several high profile prisoners who had their matters called in the Leonora Magistrate’s Court began protesting after the magistrate informed them that their matter had been put down for another date.

This publication was informed that the matter was put down because of the time of the day and the amount of matters the magistrate had to preside over. The Leonora Magistrate’s Court does not have a sitting magistrate, but sittings would usually be conducted from Mondays through Fridays at 13:00hrs with either Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty or Magistrate Clive Nurse.

The Guyana Chronicle was informed that after the prisoners had been told that their matter was not going to be heard, they began ranting and raging, causing the security in and around the court to be beefed up and the police to clear the court premises of other persons.

Those who were present at court at time of the incident related that the police, assessing the developing situation and its implications for public safety, imposed a heavy police presence encircling the court house, which remained until the prisoners had been dispatched back to Camp Street, where they are presently on remand.

While the number of prisoners involved in the protest has not been confirmed, the Guyana Chronicle was informed that it was in all probability close to seven.

Police D Division Commander Ian Amsterdam, whose station shares a compound with the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, related that the prisoners were all accounted for, as he quelled rumours that the security cordon imposed around the court had been breached and prisoners had escaped. He said that none of the prisoners had made any attempt to break out of the holding area at the court.

Persons who were present as the drama unfolded confirmed that the police acted very swiftly and professionally in bringing the situation under control.

A mere two weeks ago, four high profile prisoners breached the security at the Georgetown Magistrates Courts’ holding area and escaped during a heavy down pour of rain. One of those prisoners was recaptured seconds after freeing himself, while another was shot dead in Berbice even as the third prisoner was found hiding under a bed. The fourth escapee is still at large.

It is not clear if the latest development will see adjustment in the procedure governing timely appearance of high-profile prisoners in court. Already, there has been adjustment at the Georgetown Public Hospital in the treatment of prisoners who go to the facility to seek medical attention. This was brought into effect after a fleeing prisoner shot and killed a police officer earlier this year, after sprinting from the Accident and Emergency facility.

(By Leroy Smith)