Two-times murder accused Veron Primus was sentenced to 24 months when he appeared before the Kingstown Magistrate Court yesterday and pleaded guilty escaping lawful custody.
Primus, who is awaiting trial for the 2015 murder of 33-year old real estate agent Sharlene Greaves, was charged for escaping the Kingstown jail between December 7th and 10th, 2020. He had escaped with fellow inmate Ulric Hanson who is among others awaiting trial for the 2018 murder of 50-year-old security guard Rodney George.
Hanson was shot when police went to apprehend both of them at a house in Lowmans Leeward last week Thursday morning.
It was the second time in just over a year that Primus was sentenced for jailbreak, having been sentenced on October 2nd, 2019, for escaping from the prison in Kingstown between September 30th and October 1st, 2019.
Primus also pleaded guilty yesterday to damaging a sheet of 3/8” plywood valued at EC$148.48 and a sheet of 16-foot galvanize, valued at $153.59, the property of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He was sentenced to three months for that offence.
The escaping lawful custody and damage to property sentences are to run concurrently.
According to the facts presented in court by prosecutor Corlene Samuel, at the time of his arrest, Primus had EC$560 and two Digicel SIM cards in his possession.
The court heard that Primus gave police a caution statement admitting to the crimes of escaping lawful custody and damage to property.
The court heard that Primus was housed in a B Block with 15 other inmates and he switched cells with another prisoner to effect his escape.
The court heard that Primus went to Star Class cell block on Sunday 6th December and slept there that night. He went back to his block the following day.
Primus went back to Star Class after that day and he and Hanson used a pair of nippers to cut through the roof. Hey used a bed sheet, tied from the bunk to the ceiling, to block view of what they were doing.
The court also heard that Primus and Hanson took two days to cut through the roof. On the day of their escape, they went through the roof around 3 a.m. and it took them about two hours to get off the roof.
Once they were off the roof of the prison, which borders the state-owned St Vincent Electricity Service Ltd (Vinlec), they proceeded to dig a hole under the fence to get off the compound and to make their way to freedom.
The court heard that Primus and Hanson made their escape via the Mc Kie’s Hill route, assisted by a female friend who took them in a vehicle to a Lowmans Leeward area he is familiar with through Google Maps.
Up to press time, there was no report on the status of Hanson who was said to be hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his foot.
