‘Like living in hell’

After spending 31 years in prison for murder, Linton Berry is pleading with the authorities to improve the quality of life for inmates, who he says are living in inhumane and degrading conditions.

“Taking away a person’s freedom should be the real punishment. They should never have to live in horrible and deplorable conditions,” the garage operator and former district constable said in a Gleaner interview on Tuesday, four days after completing his three-decade sentence at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre.

“Can you imagine being locked down from early evening without access to toilet facilities until the next morning? It is just like living in hell and one of my missions will be to advise people, especially the youth, to keep out of trouble,” he said.

Berry was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to hang for the murder of his former lover, 36-year-old Paulette Zaidie, who was fatally shot at the foot of Jack’s Hill, St Andrew, in 1987.

The United Kingdom Privy Council overturned the conviction in 1992 and Berry was removed from death row and granted bail.

After a retrial in 1997, a jury again convicted him of murder and he was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to serve 25 years before becoming eligible for parole.

The prosecution led evidence that jealousy was the motive for the murder because there were threats in relation to the victim’s recent marriage to Joseph ‘Jimmy’ Zaidie. Berry’s defence was that the victim grabbed his firearm, which accidentally went off when he tried to retrieve it.

Berry wept uncontrollably as he reflected during the Gleaner interview on Tuesday.

“I am sending an apology to the deceased’s family; however, I still maintain it was an accident, but I accept the verdict of my fellow countrymen and the court,” he said.

The 71-year-old dedicated his time attending to the welfare of inmates while behind bars as he remained in contact with lawyers locally and in England to assist them. He said he found a sense of joy and fulfilment when they later thanked him.

One such former inmate was policeman Lescene Edwards, who was convicted in 2013 of the murder of his children’s mother, Aldonna Harris Vasquez, in September 2003. Edwards was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to serve 35 years before parole.

Berry told The Gleaner that he contacted the law firm Simmons Muirhead Burton in London and English King’s Counsel Krissy Brimlow to help Edwards, who was successful in his appeal before the United Kingdom Privy Council and is now back on the job.

“I felt so excited and pleased when Edwards came to me after he was acquitted, hugged me, and thanked me,” Berry said.

According to Berry, he was instrumental in setting up a prison system to keep a check on mentally ill prisoners so they would no longer get lost in the system.

He noted that there are some good workers in the penal system who must be commended for doing their best to help and care for inmates.

And while the health service in the prison needs improvement, as sometimes medication is not readily available, Berry also gave commendations to the doctors for their service in tending to the sick. He is also hoping that in the near future, steps will be taken to improve the prisoners’ diet, disclosing that his health had deteriorated because of poor diet and difficulty in getting certain medication.

“Life in prison has not been easy, but because of my determination, I managed to survive. I am very grateful to be released,” he told The Gleaner.

Berry was released from custody last Friday. News of his release triggered mixed emotions among the inmates. Some were happy he was leaving. Others wished he would be there to mentor and assist them.

On Sunday, he went to church to thank God that despite the challenges, he survived the horrors of life in prison.

editorial@gleanerjm.com