Retired Prisons Commissioner responds to Judge’s criticism

MERE days after High Court Judge Herbert Volney slammed Commissioner of Prisons Leo Abraham for his failure to submit a report on the status of convicted killer Chuck Attin, Abraham retired from the Prisons Service in fine style last Saturday, bringing an end to 38 years of  service. But Abraham did not leave quietly and chose his retirement ceremony to respond directly to the stinging remarks against him by Justice Volney. “I was not expecting at the end of my career, I would have been brought to public ridicule by a member of another division. I want to say had a telephone call been made, I would not have been the subject of that matter,” Abraham said during a retirement function held in his honour.

Early last week, Justice Hebert Volney lashed out at the former Prisons Commissioner for “ignoring an order of the court,” in submitting a report on the status of convicted killer Chuck Attin. Volney was ready to deal with the re-sentencing of Attin, 26, who was found guilty of the murders of housewives Candice Scott and Karen Sa Gomes at Westmoorings in 1994. However, attorneys for Attin, then 16 at the time of the murders, and who was sentenced to be detained at the State’s Pleasure, filed a Constitutional Motion challenging his detention. Last year Justice Allan Mendonca ordered Attin should be detained at the Court’s pleasure and referred the case back to the court for re-sentencing. However, because Justice Volney had not yet received the report from the Prisons Commissioner, the matter had to be put off once more. According to Volney and Attin’s attorney Dana Seetahal, requests were made to the Prison’s Commissioner for Attin’s report, on more than one occasion earlier this year.

However, to date nothing has been forthcoming, causing Justice Volney to lash out at the Prison head saying, “if this behaviour is not contempt, it comes very close to it” and ordered that the DPP write a letter to Abraham indicating, “the courts will not tolerate this.” At a retirement ceremony held Saturday at the Prison’s Sports and Cultural Club, Abraham handed over the reigns of control of the Prison Service to his deputy Carlo Mc Honey, who will today assume the position of Commissioner of Prisons. Tribute was paid to Abraham by several heads of national security services, including Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Ancil Antoine and Chief Fire Officer, Lennox Alfred.