Family of Escaped Prisoner Claim Police Harassment

Emmanuel Willoughby Jr.

The manhunt continues for twenty-five year old Emmanuel Willoughby, an inmate at the Belize Central Prison who escaped from his cell last Saturday. According to the Kolbe Foundation, Willoughby cut a hole on his cell door and broke out from the prison at around three a.m. on Saturday. Emmanuel has relatives in Libertad and Georgeville, but it is his immediate family here in the City that is claiming that since his escape, they have been constantly harassed by the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) and prison wardens. The family sought legal advice and has now come forward to the media with allegations of police brutality.

Doreen Polanco, Sister of Emmanuel Willoughby

Doreen Polanco

“Saturday morning, dehn come by fu we house, the whole prison officers and GSU come and den say if we get the understanding that my bredda escaped from the jail and I tell ahn yes. So dehn start questioning if we hear from him since, but I tell ahn we noh hear nothing and we noh know nothing about him. So then dehn search my bredda dehn and the house and when dehn done search, dehn pick up my two bredda—my lee bredda who dah wah minor and my older bredda—and say let’s go. So I ask them but why unu wah ker dehn for? Ih say just go dah the station go find out. So they ker two ah them. When they release my bredda them the Sunday, my lee bredda, di minor, say that dehn take a bat and bat up he on his head, ih knee cap and ih toe asking about ih bredda; that dehn know weh dehn bredda deh and that we know. But dehn noh know. We noh know nothing about fi we bredda so how we wah give dehn information about something weh we noh know.”

Kenroy Willoughby

Kenroy Willoughby, Claims Police Brutality

“Saturday morning dehn come pick up we after ten—me, my lee bredda and one of my friend—saying dehn wah ker we dah station to interview we and release we. But when we reach there, dehn just question we and lock we down dah station and let we go about Sunday in the evening dehn let go we. Yesterday, I was up the street, me and my gial were talking and five prison officers come in a silver pickup, come and pass and holla my name. I just nod my head to them. They grabbed the phone out of my hand and I tell them give me my phone cause dehn dah noh police officer and they say they can do weh dehn want. So I try grab my phone outta di man hand. One of them knock me dah my side, shub me down, kick me off of my foot and try string me down and handcuff up me tight. They ker me towards the burying ground stretch and start to kick me up and beat me up bad. Then the chief security dah di prison tell me weh part mi bredda deh? I tell ahn I noh know weh part my bredda deh. The man say yo wah take more lick and they start kicking me more. Then dehn got the gun ina my head and his gun snap ina my head and then I turn soh. I tell ahn mind why o di do. And the man say he noh business; that dah weh wah ketch yo bredda when we get ahn and then dehn start beat me up more and thing. After that, dehn call GSU fi me and then GSU take me out of fi dehn pickup and put me ina fi dehn pickup and ker me dah station and ker me dah station and ina di GSU piece. One of the GSU just take wah five gallon and whap me ina my belly five times and that dehn wah search fi my bredda and thing and when dehn find ahn dehn wah put ahn to sleep.”