Concerns as gov’t moves to house criminally insane man at Mental Health Centre

A criminally insane man who is weeks away from being released after 20 years in prison in connection with a murder charge is to be housed at the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre after his release.

The man, Webster Woodley, 50, of Villa, is to be released as the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sejilla Mc Dowall has discontinued a a 20-year-old murder charge against him.

Woodley has been on remand since 2005 in connection with the Nov. 29, 2004 death of taxi operator Peter “Kazaman” Joseph, for which he was convicted of murder twice, both of which were overturned.

He had also been charged with murder in connection with the death of Livingston Primus, 28, of Sion Hill who was gunned down in his community around 3 a.m. on Aug. 23, 2004.

The third murder charge related to the killing of Sigbert Pompey who was shot in Arnos Vale.

And as the state moves to house Woodley at the psychiatric hospital, a healthcare worker has expressed alarm at the development, describing Woodley, as “a highly volatile prisoner and notorious murderer”.

The development comes amidst the protracted debate in the nation’s courts and other institutions about appropriate confinement and treatment facilities for the criminally insane.

A healthcare worker who contacted iWitness News anonymously on Monday said that housing a criminally insane person at the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre adds “another grievance to the list” affecting workers there.

“As a long-standing service member, it greatly pains me that I have to use this medium to voice my displeasure. However, in support of my other comrades, I must say that enough is enough,” the workers said.

The workers described the situation as “grave”, adding that it appeared that the mental health facility was to be turned into “the Calliaqua Branch of His Majesty’s Prisons”, noting that Woodley would be moved to the Mental Health Centre in less than two weeks.

“This has ramifications for numerous persons including, but not limited to, all personnel employed at the facility and other patients.”

The worker said it is a matter of public record that the mental health facility does not have the necessary security measures to house dangerous criminals, including those who have served their sentences.

They said housing Woodley at the facility “sets a dangerous precedent for similar cases to follow suit.

“If this person is a threat to the point that he cannot be in his own community, then why should he be housed among the most vulnerable people in the country?” the worker said, adding, “Where is the legal representation to advocate for Mr. Woodley and his circumstances?”

Woodley’s lawyers were appointed by the court. However, with no criminal charges pending against him, the arrangement with his lawyer would end, unless a lawyer decides to represent him for free.

The health care worker asked where despite being “free”, Woodley was to move from one jail to another to be kept in long-term, high-security confinement.

“This move potentially violates his human rights and those of the staff and patients already there.”

The worker said the mental health centre caters to the most vulnerable people in society and there is already a stigma attached to it “without the additional burden of it being used as a halfway house for dangerous criminals.

“The staff are not trained for this and are rightly concerned for their safety in light of the impending move of this prisoner to the centre. To add insult to injury, moves have begun in haste to construct a dwelling for this individual while for years numerous requests for repairs to BRAGSA and other government entities have languished on a desk with no acknowledgement.”

The worker said no training has been offered to the nurses or the staff in advance of the relocation of Woodley to the psychiatric hospital nor have any security measures been started on “the many issues on the compound, including the walls that are easily scaled, most frighteningly the completely broken-down front wall where a container in disrepair is currently located. 

“The move to house this prisoner is being made with breakneck speed with less than a month’s notice and little to no preparation,” the source said.

They said there had been no official communication to the staff from Minister of Health, St. Clair Prince, adding that this “a dire failing on his part, and yet another indication of lack of respect for the staff.

“These events are a slap in the face to the dedicated workers who toil despite inadequate training, minimal resources, and no hazard pay. It just goes to show that the mental health facility, the workers there, and what we do to protect, maintain, and advocate for the most vulnerable people in our society are not seen as worthy of respect.

“The powers that be use ‘mental health’ as a buzzword and when the time comes, they have photo-ops, make speeches and give lip service to the media. When it’s all over they get back in their cars and go to their offices and forget our work until it’s convenient. What about our mental health?  I cannot do anything but cry ‘Shame! Shame! Shame!.”

‘some difficulties’ in getting the psychiatric evaluation

The move to release Woodley from prison comes 18 months after High Court judge, Justice Brian Cottle said in September 2023 that the time would come when the court would grant applications for the release from prison of people who were awaiting psychiatric reports so their murder trial could proceed.

Woodley was convicted twice for murder in connection with Joseph’s death but the Court of Appeal overturned both convictions.

On Sept. 19, 2023, Crown Counsel Renee Simmons told the High Court that there were “some difficulties” in getting the psychiatric evaluation done so that Woodley’s matter would be disposed of.

“We are exploring all options…” Simmons had told the court.

Defence counsel Shirlan “Zita” Barnwell, who was holding for Woodley’s lawyer, Jomo Thomas, said that she could confirm that on June 30, 2023, the court had ordered a psychiatric report, which was not done.

She said that the second element of the order was that if the report was not submitted, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health had to attend court to say why.

However, Justice Cottle had said that after the end of the previous assizes, he had met with the permanent secretary about Woodley’s matter and others in which a psychiatric evaluation was needed.

Cottle said that during that meeting, he heard from the psychiatrist who the state had retained and the meeting ended with an agreement to meet shortly after.

He said the psychiatrist was to provide some details but she subsequently demitted office.

“I got the impression that the volume and type of work she was being asked to do fell outside of what she was expecting and I am not sure she felt that she was able to cope. So, she took the position that she would no longer hold the position to be the person tasked with providing psychiatric evaluations for persons charged with criminal offences,” Justice Cottle said.

He said that medical officers in that area of expertise are difficult to come by and it is difficult to attract and retain qualified people in this area “for the simple reason that if they choose to work elsewhere, they would be much better rewarded than accepting a position to work with the state in St. Vincent and the Grenadines”.

Cottle said he would not, therefore, summon the permanent secretary to attend court to tell him what he already knows.

“We don’t have reports because we don’t have anyone to prepare the reports,” the judge said.

“Other steps will have to be taken by the powers that be to prepare the reports. As it stands, we literally do not have anybody to prepare the reports,” Justice Cottle further said.

He told the prosecutor that while he was alive to the challenges that the government faced, the government was still in a better position to have the psychiatric reports prepared.

“I will not make an issue of it today but I must place on the record that I cannot allow people to languish because we cannot prepare reports,” Justice Cottle had said.

He had said there will come a time that applications may be made on behalf of people with outstanding reports and those applications will have to be granted.

30 mentally ill prisoners

Last December, acting Superintendent of Prisons, Dwyane Bailey told the High Court that there were 30 inmates with mental illness in the nation’s prisons, of whom 26 were on medication.

Of the total, 18 of them are charged with murder or manslaughter and eight of them were awaiting trial.

Bailey said inmates with mental health issues continue to pose a significant risk to other inmates and staff as more incidents are occurring where inmates injure other inmates and, in one case, a prison officer.