Dear Editor,

My name is Deborah Innocent. I was sentenced to jail on 18th April 2002 and am now a prisoner of the State. When I was sentenced, I had a bail receipt for $25,000 to draw back from the court. Being a prisoner, I could not do so.

A Sergeant of the Police Force attached to the Court Supervisor Office stationed at Brickdam (name given) told me that she would assist me in drawing the money to buy me some items, for me to travel with to the New Amsterdam prison. On Friday she uplifted the cheque and did not even call me to say something. After a time I decided to make a call to the Sergeant and her response was poor, I made about twenty-four calls and it was the same trick she was pulling on me. So I eventually called in the Officer in Charge of the East La Penitence lock-ups to look into the matter. He eventually got into contact with the sergeant and told her to bring the prisoner's cheque, don't change it. She failed to do so.

On Saturday morning she came with a small quantity of items (listed) and told me that the value of these items is twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), she gave me one thousand dollars in my hand and she told me she took two thousand dollars and she gave the clerk from the court two thousand and that was the end of my twenty five thousand dollars.

Why should a big Sergeant of the Guyana Police Force commit this crime on a prisoner? That is the reason why prisoners escape from prison and cause a decent person like me Deborah Innocent to commit crimes and do things that I am not supposed to do.

I feel this is robbery because she did not show me any remorse for my twenty five thousand dollars ($25,000).