Handcuffed and ordered to brace himself against prison walls, former Golden Grove inmate, Edward Vernon Wilson waited for the slice of the prison officer’s riot staff on his buttocks. He flinched at the first lash. Soon, he was begging and pleading with the officers to stop. But they never did. Not one of the four men showed any mercy whatsoever as they took turns systematically beating Wilson.

Yesterday, in an interview at the Sunday Express offices in Port of Spain, Wilson recounted his ordeal that began that day on September 1, when four prison officers beat him so badly that he spent 13 days warded at the Port of Spain General hospital.

The beatings, he said, were punishment for him fighting with another inmate over a tv remote control. The other inmate was also beaten.

Wilson 47, of Dindial Trace, Piparo, was serving a six and a half months’ jail term for marijuana possession. His term ended on September 13.

He has since sued the Attorney General for damages for assault and battery committed on him by prison officers and is also asking for aggravate and/or exemplary and /or vindicatory damages and costs.

The incident, according to documents and sworn affavadits which will be filed tomorrow at the Port of Spain High Court, details injuries sustained by Wilson following a fight at the Golden Grove Prison on September 1.

Wilson’s affavadit states that on September 1 at 2 am, he and another prisoner had an altercation in the dormitory where Wilson was stabbed by the other inmate in the head with a fork. Both prisoners were restrained by two prison officers, handcuffed and taken to the main prison.

A Prison Officer 11 then instructed ’both inmates to place their hands on the wall. Mr (name called) started to beat the other inmate with a riot staff. Mr (name called) then instructed the other prison officers to ’make sure and beat the two of them.’

’The officer who inflicted the second set of lashes on the claimant then stopped. Another officer present then approached the Claimant and started to beat the Claimant. The Claimant received about 10 lashes from this prison officer...’ the affavadit states. Following a series of beatings, both the inmate and Wilson were taken to the infirmary in handcuffs where Wilson was attended to by infirmary officer Mr Boodoo.

After being treated for injuries, Wilson was placed in the cell block and was yet again beaten by two Emergency Response Unit officers.

Yesterday, Wilson said following the beating, he has lost faith in the prison system and has been experiencing immense pain and suffering from the injuries inflicted. He showed photos of his injuries. Medical records obtained by his lawyers revealed that four days prior to admission at the Port of Spain General Hospital, Wilson was administered antibiotics, ’however, he continued to have pain and the patient had a massive lesion on right buttocks.’

Asked about the incident yesterday, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association Burton Hill told the Sunday Express that ’that is alleged, because within the prison environment there are a lot of occurrences which require officers to use force.’

’Every situation needs to be treated on its own merit, if any officer is doing his duty and an inmate attacks another, the rules and regulations gives him the authority to use force which will bring a stop to the violence,’ Hill said.

Saying that situations occur and that people’s responses maybe different, Hill said at the end of the day, an officer’s actions are well intended and an officer ’on duty has the right to prevent violence.’

Asked if officers who abuse their authority should be applauded for their actions, Hill said:

’No, I never said that. How things are viewed externally are in a different light from when you are within the prison walls. Each case needs to be looked at on its own merit.’

Acting Deputy Commissioner of Prisons Martin Martinez, when contacted for comment, said he was unaware of Wilson’s claims and could not comment.

He did say, however, ’Prison officers are not allowed and we do not condone officers to run amok and take the law into their own hands. Where there is a breach of indiscipline among prisoners, there are procedures in place to deal with it.

’We do not condone officers abusing prisoners, they are not vigilantes, when the courts send them here, then justice has already been served.’

It was only last month that Justice Andre Des Vignes joined the chorus of other judicial officers calling on the relevant authorities to investigate prison officers who abuse their authority by ’brutalising inmates.’

Des Vignes made the plea after he ordered the State to pay $243,848, in damages to ex-inmate Sean Wallace who received a severe beating at the hands of prison officers while jailed. Wallace, 44, of Santa Cruz, was incarcerated at the Port of Spain Prison on March 17, 2008, where he was serving a 30-month jail term.

The ordeal

’We got into a fight. I was looking at CNN, when another inmate came and took the remote and changed the channel, then turned it off. I went for the remote and we started scrambling. The prisoner then stabbed me in the head with a fork.’

That was the fight that led to Wilson and his fellow inmate being severely beaten by four prison officers.

Wilson said following the beatings they were both taken to the infirmary, their handcuffs taken off and he was given glucose water to drink. After being treated, he was placed in a cell block and again beaten, he said.

On September 3 and 8, Wilson said he saw the prison medical officer. From September 8 to September 13, he started bleeding from injuries to his buttocks, he said.

On September 13, the prison medical officer was called out. He ordered that Wilson be taken to hospital immediately since his wounds had become infected. Wilson was discharged from hospital on September 18, at that time had already completed his sentence.

A medical report obtained by Wilson’s lawyers show some of his injuries as including welts about his body, severe swelling to the buttocks, abscess to the right and left side of gluteal region, 7cm by 10 cm ulcer with irregular edges and necrotic base on the right side of buttocks and large lesion on both buttocks.