A 26-year-old robbery suspect has allegedly confessed to starting the fire that completely destroyed the Brickdam Police Station on Saturday.
Police said that they have managed to secure a video confession from the suspect.
The Princes Street, Lodge man was arrested early on Saturday morning (October 2nd, 2021) and placed in the Brickdam lockups for an alleged robbery under arms at the time of the fire. During the alleged confession, he told investigators that his motive for starting the fire was due to him being detained for a couple of hours and he became frustrated.
Following the fire on Saturday, the prisoners who were in the Brickdam lockups, were questioned and two of them claimed that after the fire was seen and they were taken out of the cells by Cpl George and escorted to the Sparendaam Police Station. There, they were placed in a cell with the suspect.
The two other men – a 29-year-old of Duke Street, Kingston and a clothes vendor of Lodge Housing Scheme – said the suspect related that he took a piece of sponge, wrapped it up on a piece of wire which he lit and pushed it through a ventilation hole in the cell over to a part that had some documents.
It was from there that the fire started.
Police said based on that information, they conducted a video interrogation with the suspect and he reportedly confessed. The man also, allegedly, told the Police that it was another cellmate who gave him a piece of wire to help him start the fire.
The suspect told investigators that he then tore off a piece of sponge from a mattress in the cell that he was in, hooked it on the wire and lit same with a cigarette lighter which he then pushed through a ventilation hole in the cell at Brickdam.
Investigations are ongoing.
