A/HRC/16/52/Add.3
floor of SP 19 with guns, bars, riot shields and batons in their hands. Some of the detainees
had been outside of their cells in order to get water. They were making a lot of noise
because of the lack of water and the food. In the days before the disturbance, the detainees
had received only one bucket of water for each cell. There was no water that day, and the
stench from the toilets had become unbearable. The food, which should be distributed three
times per day, came once at 4 p.m. The detainees who were outside their cells started
shouting and cursing at the warders, and refused to get back to their cells. The warders then
started to beat them. The warders and soldiers forced open the locks on the cells and
ordered the rest of the detainees out, but he refused to come out. Officers Darkins, Facey
and an officer called “Busthead” came into his cell and hit him and two cellmates with iron
water pipes, long sticks and batons, while the soldiers stood outside of the cells pointing
guns at them. However, they still refused to leave their cells. He was beaten for
approximately one minute on the right shoulder, the left elbow and the left knee. The object
he was hit with on the knee was a tall, round, hollow iron pipe. The iron pipe had caused a
hole in his knee. When he fell to his knees, he was beaten on the arm and shoulder with a
long, round wooden stick, with a diameter of approximately 7 cm. and over one meter in
length. Officer Facey hit him on the head with an iron pipe and he fainted. He woke up in
the public hospital at night with a nosebleed. There was a lot of blood on him. Since there
were so many injured detainees at hospital, he was not properly treated and was sent back
the very same evening. He received stitches on his knee and on his head. All of his
belongings were destroyed and his clothes were soaked with blood and water. Officer
Darkins came to the medical unit at Horizon, and asked if he was dead yet. He reported
Officer Darkins to the Commissioner of Corrections, who removed him from the medical
unit. Some people came to question the detainees the day before the visit of the Special
Rapporteur and asked them why they had smashed the place. They did not explain who
they were and talked to the detainees individually. He was certain that the warders would
continue to abuse the detainees, as they had been beaten often before the unrest. He had
been beaten three times since he came to the remand centre in early 2004. Sometimes he
was taken to court, and although he had a legal aid lawyer, he did not see him often.
Detainees had no access to telephones. Sometimes he could see his family through a glass.
His family brought him food and other things, which were often stolen. The warders sold
marijuana and mobile phones to the detainees. He had not seen the Public Defender. All the
warders who were involved in the beatings during the unrest were still on duty.
Women’s Section
38.
There were two girls downstairs in the women’s sector for being “uncontrollable”,
and a British woman at the first floor awaiting deportation. The facilities were fairly
spacious and had a door leading to the open air with some space to walk or do exercise
outside.
39.
In the section for boys, 28 boys were held in eight cells. The boys stated that they
could go out of their cells into the main area from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 to
3:30 p.m. In addition, they were sometimes allowed to play football outside.
40.
T. M., aged 15, was arrested on the street in February 2007 after running away from
the children’s home, and had spent three days at a police station in Kingston. She had
received a three-year sentence for “uncontrollable” behaviour by the Family Court, which
she had to complete at Horizon. The last time she had been beaten was on 25 October 2009.
She was normally beaten when she refused to go back to her cell. She could mix with adult
women, but not with men or boys. Her father was dead and her mother had left for England,
although her aunt and grandmother visited her every Saturday. She could only see them for
about five minutes. At the time of the visit of the Special Rapporteur she and P.F. were
locked down and could not leave their cells or go outside to the fresh air. They watched TV
all day and night, with the volume fully on.
28
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