AFTER spending almost a month on remand, six persons, including four prison officers, were released on $750,000 bail each, for their alleged involvement in the escape of death row inmate and convicted mass murderer, Mark Royden Williams called ‘Smallie’.

The prison officers are head of security of the Mazaruni Prison, Alexander Hopkinson, Omar Whitherspoon, Conroy Hosannah, and Oldfield Romulus. Meanwhile, Frangeliz Jugandry Flores Perez of Alexander Street, Kitty and businessman Rajmohan Autar called ‘Chico’ were also charged.

When the defendants made their second court appearance before Magistrate Christel Lambert at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court, several attorneys, including Bernard DaSilva who is on record for Hopkinson, made an application for bail.

The Magistrate later released them on $750,000 bail each and the matter was adjourned until July 18, 2023.

They are accused of conspiring with each other and persons unknown to assist Williams to escape on May 19.

Williams escaped from the prison around 14:30 hours with the assistance of heavily armed men in a speedboat.

According to the Prison Service, Williams was returning to the Sibley Hall prison on an ATV and was in shackles, after receiving a visit from a female, when the escorting ranks came under gunfire. It is alleged that the ranks dismounted their ATV and returned fire at the assailants.

It is further alleged by the Prison Service that one of the boat occupants came to shore and continued to discharge several rounds towards the prison officers. Williams managed to run towards the riverbank before jumping into the river, the Prison Service claimed.

The gunmen assisted him into the speedboat which headed upstream past Itaballi Landing, while prison guards and police undertook pursuit. No prison officer was injured during the ordeal.
In February 2017, Williams was sentenced to death when a jury found him guilty of eight counts of murder in relation to the 2008 Bartica massacre, in which a dozen persons, including three police officers, were shot dead.

Several months later, in July 2017, Williams escaped from the prison at Camp Street, Georgetown, during a riot. It is believed that he was the mastermind.

However, he was nabbed on October 9, 2017, at Weldaad, West Coast Berbice (WCB), while travelling in a public minibus.

In 2013, Williams was acquitted after a 12-member jury found him not guilty of the charges against him in relation to the 2008 Lusignan massacre, which claimed the lives of 11 persons, including five children.

Last year, he was sentenced to death for the 2008 murder of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer Ivor Williams.