More than one month after prisoner Derrick Oudkerk escaped from the home of Prison Officer Alsan Scott while on labour duties, the convict was recaptured on Monday at a mining camp in Water Dog Backdam, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).
According to information received, the arrest was made at about 16:00h after ranks of the Mahdia Police Station visited a camp belonging to a 51-year-old dredge owner of West Bank Demerara, at Water Dog Backdam.
Recaptured: Derrick Oudkerk
Oudkerk of Upper West Watakoo, Essequibo River, was in January of 2018 sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on a larceny offence and was being housed at the Lusignan Penitentiary.
Reports indicate that on April 8, 2018, the convict was on labour duty at the Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara home of Senior Superintendent of Prisons, Alsan Scott when he was reported missing at about 16:30h.
Internal investigation
An internal investigation was launched and according to the initial information, it indicated that on the day in question, Oudkerk was among two other prisoners who were all signed for and uplifted by Scott, to labour at his residence. During that period, it is alleged that the former escapee was assigned to load sand from the road into Scott’s yard.
According to Scott, he was also assisting the prisoner with his task. However, he recalled that he left Oudkerk on the road and proceeded to move away into the yard with a load of sand and upon returning, the 23-year-old was nowhere to be found. A search was immediately conducted in the vicinity, however, this proved futile.
The investigation found that several Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) were breached that resulted in the prisoner escaping.
According to the report, an examination of the Prison’s Gate Journal revealed that Scott was the one who signed out the prisoners, but they were transported to his home by another officer and were handed over to Scott’s relatives instead of the officers. It was also found that the inmates would have worked at the property resulting in them having fair knowledge of the grounds.
“It was revealed that Standard Operating Procedures governing the selection of prisoners for labour at an outdoor party were not followed… the investigation revealed that Senior Superintendent of Prisons, A Scott, signed as uplifting the prisoners to labour at his residence. However, in a statement submitted by Service Driver Shepherd, he contradicts the notion of Mr Scott transporting the prisoners to his residence. However, in an interview with Mr Scott he remained adamant that he was supervising the prisoners up to the point of Oudkerk’s suspected escape,” the report stated.
“The only mention of any definitive timeline of prisoner Oudkerk being missing from his place of work was given by Senior Superintendent of Prisons Scott, who indicated that the prisoner left his presence to complete a task at 4:30pm (16:30h) and was last seen at that time… all official reports indicated that the discovery was made by Mr Scott. However, the investigative team was privy to some amount of unofficial reports that Mr Scott was at the Holding Bay at the time of the escape and examination of the video surveillance footage for the 8th April 2018 would serve to substantiate these reports,” the report added.
Efforts by this publication to contact the Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, for a comment on the report proved futile.
