Prisoner died from haemorrhage and suffocation

Sep 30, 2008 News 0

Dead: Anand Sukdeo

A post mortem examination performed on the body of 34-year-old Anand Sukdeo, who died under mysterious circumstancs on September 23 at the Leonora Diagnostic Centre, revealed that the prisoner died from haemorrhaging and suffocation.
The man’s mother, Deowattie Sukdeo, told this newspaper that when the post mortem was performed, no family member was allowed to be in the room; there was only the doctor and a detective from the Leonora Police Station.
Deowattie noted that when her son was laid to rest on Saturday, blood was still oozing from his head, and as a result she had to put a plastic bag over his head.
She noted that her son’s face was badly bruised, and she is now wondering how all the marks got there, as she did not leave her son in such a condition when at the hospital. 
Anand Sukdeo, a father of four, of Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo, was admitted to the facility for approximately a week before he died.
Kaieteur News understands that Sukdeo was charged for damage to property, disorderly behaviour and the use of threatening language, after he and one of his relatives had a family dispute.
As a result, he was on remand at the Camp Street Prison. His mother told this newspaper that while her son was in the prison, he complained of feeling sick and was taken to the hospital where he was given five bags of saline.
She noted that he returned to the prison and still felt sick, and was again taken to the hospital, where the doctors related that they found nothing wrong with him.
However, when his case was called once again at the Leonora Magistrates Court, the woman said that she observed that her son could not have climbed the steps, and was complaining of pains in his head.
She added that she then begged the magistrate for bail, taking into consideration his condition.
He was placed on $50,000 bail and was immediately admitted to the Leonora Diagnostic Centre, where he then became unconscious.
The man’s mother said that since September 15 her son had been on a life support machine and could not have spoken to anyone.
The family noted that they observed that Sukdeo’s shoulders had bruises on both sides, his head was swollen, and the left side of his face also had a bruise.
They noted that Sukdeo did not say how he came by the marks as he was unconscious most of the time that he spent at the hospital. 
His mother noted that her son’s body did not bear any of those marks when he was remanded to the prison, and she is adamant that her son was beaten at the facility.
However, she noted that she cannot say who might have beaten her son.
The family explained that it could have been the officers, or even inmates at the prisons.
When contacted, Director of Prisons Dale Erskine said that an investigation would be launched into the prisoner’s death based on the results of the post mortem.
Efforts to verify if any investigation will now be launched into the man’s death proved futile, as Mr. Erskine could not be reached for a comment.