Mentally ill man rescued from ‘dog pen’ structure

…allegedly locked away for 3 years by father, step mother

A man suspected to be suffering from mental illness and who was locked away for the past three years in a pen-like structure, by his step mother and father aback their North Sophia, Greater Georgetown home, was rescued by the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) with the assistance of the Guyana Police Force.

The man, 28-year-old Gopaul Etwaroo, of Block R, North Sophia, was reportedly locked away on the basis that he would constantly destroy household items. The man was reported being fed like an animal, Guyana Times was told.
The man, according to reports, suffers from a mental illness and is also mute.
Based on reports received about the inhumane treatment being meted out to the young man, members of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation made a decision to visit the area to investigate.

It was during their visit to the premises on Friday that the man was discovered.
Etwaroo was given the bottom halves of three bleach bottles – one for his food, one with water and one for him to use to take a bath. Following the discovery at about 12:00h, the seemingly calm man was escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he will undergo several medical examinations.
His stepmother was arrested and is being grilled by the Police in connection with inhumane conditions in which the man was kept. His father, who is the driver of an attorney, is still to be questioned. (Bhisham Mohamed)