“I plead guilty,” he said. “It doesnﾴt matter which court I choose, I am guilty for escaping. Whatever the penalty, I accept it because I know what I did was wrong and I am sorry.”
Police dockets indicate that Parcoi, a convicted rapist, escaped Her Majesty’s Prison between Wednesday, March 2 and Thursday, March 3, 2005.
According to prosecutor, Inspector Ercell Dorsette, around 6:30am on March 3 the police received information regarding Parcoi’s escape. That information was immediately circulated throughout the various police stations and the media.
Early yesterday, a team of police officers swooped down on the prisoner at a home in Fresh Creek, Andros.
But he was not alone.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter touched down behind bushes at the Police College on John F. Kennedy Drive shortly after 10am and onboard was Parcoi and three other persons believed to be responsible for harbouring him, among them a 39-year-old woman.
Under heavy police custody, from there the group was whisked away to several unmarked police cars and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
On the scene for Parcoi’s arrival, Police Inspector Walter Evans told the media that the convict was discovered around 7am.
At the time, he was reportedly in the company of the three persons arrested, all of whom also appeared in court on Thursday on charges of harbouring a criminal.
Police later arrested a fourth person, a male who is believed to have aided in Parcoi getting on a boat for Andros.
Among those appearing in court along with Parcoi were Ricardo Thompson, 43; Dencil Porter, 35; and Adrian Dean, 29, of Fresh Creek.
The woman, Syd Josey, a resident of Emerald Gardens, off Carmichael Road, was also arraigned at the time, after being shuffled under heavy police custody through Bank Lane.
But according to Josey, who initially pleaded guilty, she was not trying to harbour Parcoi but “only trying to help him.”
Inspector Dorsette indicated to the court that Josey told officers that she had received a call from a man in Fresh Creek on Wednesday regarding Parcoi, whom she said needed assistance. The inspector further noted that after receiving the information, Josey said she traveled to Fresh Creek.
“After I received the call, I went over because I thought I could persuade him to come back, but I was not harbouring him,” Ms. Josey told the court on Thursday.
“I caught a flight to Andros around 8:45am and when I reached there, I went to the house where he was and he said he would rather die than turn himself in. He would rather shoot himself because no one knows the suffering and pain he has gone through.”
Ms. Josey added that she had planned to return to the capital (on Wednesday), but missed the flight. It was only when she returned to the airport to catch a flight this morning that she was caught by police.
It was a claim Parcoi later stuck by, explaining to the court that Josey, whom he had known for “20 or more years”, had not harboured him “from day one.”
Meantime, the men all pleaded not guilty and elected to have their case heard in a magistrate’s court.
“My objection to bail is based on the seriousness of the offense,” Inspector Dorsette said. “Parcoi was a sentenced prisoner who escaped, which was all over the media. Persons would have known he was a fugitive. In addition, investigations are ongoing and if granted bail, they may interfere with witnesses.”
But attorneys for the men ﾖ Ian Cargill and Milton Cox ﾖ argued otherwise, charging that all of their clients ﾖ except Dencil Porter ﾖ had no previous convictions and no other matters before the court.
Mr. Cargill further urged the court to consider such a request for Ms. Josey, the mother of five children.
He noted that all of his clients were willing to report to the nearest police station until the matter is resolved.
In the end, the group of four was denied bail on a number of grounds and remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison.
“This is a serious charge,” Magistrate Virgill said. “You put the country at great expense to try and locate Parcoi. There is also the likelihood that if you were given bail, you may not return to court.”
Their court date is April 25.
As for Parcoi, he was given the right to an appeal his two-year sentence, a decision that should be filed in seven days.
Parcoi was serving a life sentence for rape and forcible detention when he escaped Her Majesty’s Prison. At the time, officials said he had already served 19 years on his life sentence.
But his rap sheet also includes a conviction in 1991 for escaping lawful custody and he was subsequently sentenced to an additional two years in prison.
In 1993, he was sentenced to an additional six months in prison for attempting to escape. That same year, he was handed down a 20-year prison sentence for armed robbery.
In early 1994, Parcoi received a two-year sentence for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition and in May 1994, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Parcoi’s escape prompted prison officials to seek the most cutting edge methodology for further fortifying the boundaries of the facility and for the first time, there is now in place an Internal Affairs Unit aimed at targeting suspicious activities and other matters that may compromise security at Her Majesty’s Prison, according to Prison Superintendent Dr. Elliston Rahming.
