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Sister pleads for release of incarcerated 64-y-o brother

Published:Saturday | December 17, 2022 | 1:10 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
Hayley Rowe-Baxter
Hayley Rowe-Baxter

Having spent the last two years trying to secure his release after he was convicted of murder at age 14, the sister of 64-year-old Michael Anthony Lawrence is expressing frustration with the slow grind of the Jamaican prison system in setting him free.

Hayley Rowe-Baxter told The Gleaner that several attempts to have Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen act on an appeal have not borne fruit, and despite repeated assurances from the prison authorities that her brother would be recommended for release, he is still behind bars.

“This is a 64-year-old man, who is not a threat to society and who has spent more than 19 years behind bars, having been convicted at age 14 [and held at] the governor general’s pleasure,” said Rowe-Baxter.

In 1979, Lawrence was convicted along with three others in a murder case.

Because of his age, he was detained at the governor general’s pleasure at sentencing, she said.

Lawrence escaped from prison after spending five years and migrated to Cuba, where he spent a number of years before returning to the island in 2006.

A Gleaner story in 2021 reported that while he was on the run, he had changed his name to Paul James and had travelled between both islands several times.

While in Cuba, he mastered the art of painting and on his return to Jamaica in 2006, he got a job in Kingston, and was arrested at his workplace in 2008 and charged with escaping custody.

He was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison for the escape, and the judge ordered that he should continue to serve the sentence first imposed at the governor-general’s pleasure.

Lawrence brought an application before the Court of Appeal, contending that his detention was unconstitutional because his detention in the murder case should not have been indeterminate.

APPEAL TURNED DOWN

His sister told The Gleaner that the appeal was turned down as the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction in the case.

She complained that despite efforts to have the governor-general intercede in the case, there has been no response from King’s House.

Rowe-Baxter further pointed out that she spoke with a number of officials at the Department of Correctional Services, who reportedly gave assurances that they would try to have him released.

“His indefinite detention is a violation of his human rights. He is 64 years old and suffering from various illnesses. I do not trust that he will get the proper medical care in prison. I thought prison was to rehabilitate people, so why keep someone behind bars who is not a threat to society?” she asked.

When contacted by The Gleaner, Angellique Virtue, press secretary in the Office of the Governor-General, said that all attorneys practising in Jamaica should know the procedure for appeals.

She refused to comment specifically on Lawrence’s case.

Melrose Reid, the attorney retained by Rowe-Baxter, declined to speak with The Gleaner about the matter, saying that she did not want to prejudice her client’s chances or face possible disciplinary action.

“I cannot comment in the media on this matter,” she insisted.

The Gleaner has learnt that there are efforts to put the matter back before the court.

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