Smallie’s escape: Trial of 4 Prison Officers, 2 others to start on Sept 13

The trial of four Prison Officers, a businessman and a Venezuelan national, who are all accused of aiding the now deceased Royden “Smallie” Williams with his daring escape from the high-security Mazaruni Prison, will commence on September 13 and continue the next day. The trial will be conducted at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

Charged are the following Prison Officers: Alexander Hopkinson, 58, of Bartica Housing Scheme, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Oldfield Romulus, 50, a resident of Victoria Street, Cumberland Village, East Canje Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Conroy Hosannah, 35, a resident of East Canje, Berbice; and Omar Witherspoon, 26, of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam Berbice, Region Six.
Along with Rajmohan Autor, called “Chico”, a 48-year-old businessman of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE); and Venezuelan national Frangeliz Jugandry Flores Perez, 28, of Kitty, Georgetown, they are charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 34 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act.
This charge details that on May 19, in Essequibo, they conspired with other persons unknown to assist Williams, who was under a sentence of death, in escaping from lawful custody.
Each of the defendants is out on $750,000 bail, on condition that they each lodge their passport with the Clerk of Court pending the hearing and determination of their trial.
It has been reported that, on the day in question, Perez visited Williams before his well-planned escape. Williams made a daring escape from the prison with the assistance of heavily armed accomplices. The escape occurred in broad daylight and involved the use of a speedboat. During the escape, the escort party accompanying Williams was attacked with AK-47 rifles by the individuals on the boat in the Mazaruni River. However, no Prison Officer was injured during the ordeal.
Following Williams’s escape, a reward of $10 million was announced by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for any information leading to his arrest, but the convicted mass killer was shot and killed during a Joint Services’ operation on June 1 at 47 Miles in Region Seven.
Days prior, two of his accomplices were also shot dead by law enforcement.
In 2017, Williams was found guilty of killing 12 persons, three of whom were Policemen, during the Bartica Massacre in 2008, and was sentenced to death. Another death sentence was imposed on him in September 2022 for the murder of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Corporal Ivor Williams, who was shot dead on January 23, 2008.
At the time of his death, the mass murderer had two appeals against his murder convictions and death sentences pending at the Court of Appeal of Guyana.
Williams had previously escaped from the Camp Street Prison on July 9, 2017, but was eventually recaptured on October 10, 2017 on the Weldaad Public Road, West Coast Berbice (WCB).
His body was cremated by the State on June 9.