Fmr. Prison Officer who was shot in eye trying to stop 2002 jailbreak laid to rest

Former Prison Officer Roxanne Winfield was on Sunday laid to rest at Golden Grove Village, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Winfield was the Georgetown Prison Guard who was shot in her eye almost twenty years ago when five notorious high profile criminals shot their way out of the Camp Street Jail on February 23, 2002.

She died on Thursday at the Covid-19 Hospital at Liliendaal from severe lung and Kidney complications. The 58-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital on October 23, after complaining of feeling unwell.

Those in attendance at her funeral on Sunday include Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliot and Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn along with members of the Guyana Prison Officers Association.

Prison Officer Roxanne Winfield was described as a hero by many as it is believed that had it not been for her, a larger number of prisoners would have escaped on that day back in 2002.

On the day in question, after an alarm was raised and it became clear that the facility was compromised and being overrun by inmates trying to escape, Winfield who was on gate duty at the time, attempted to lock the gates as the escapees approached her and she was shot in the eye.

The shooting of Roxanne Winfield rendered her medically unfit to function as a prison officer and was being cared for at home. A special home was also built for her to allow her to b mobile despite her disability.

The 2002 Jailbreak saw the escape of Troy Dick, Shawn brown, Andrew Douglas, Mark Fraser and Dale Moore. Together, they unleashed a most unforgettable crime wave in Guyana which is still fresh in the minds of many alive today.

Their acts of robberies, kidnapping and murders stalked Guyana for a long period before they were eventually implicated in confrontation with security forces and in some instances, clashes with a Death Squad which was operating at the time and said to have been formed to capture the five men.