The grandfather of Akim Alexander, who reportedly hanged himself at the Maximum Security Prison on Thursday morning, is calling for an investigation into his death. Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, George Jules said he was told of his grandson’s death by another inmate who telephoned the family. “He was a good boy but he start to do his own thing and end up in prison.
“It hard to see it reach to that but no one from the State told the family, we had to get a call from inside. All these things not right. You don’t operate so. It have plenty other things going in the prison. That real hurt me boy. They have to be hiding thing,” Jules said. According to police, Alexander, 24, of East Dry River Port-of-Spain, was serving a five-year jail term for robbery and larceny.
Police said around 1.30 am on Thursday, the cell mate of Alexander woke to use the bathroom and found the man hanging. Prisons officials were called and the man’s body was cut down. Cause of death was asphyxiation associated with hanging, his autopsy stated. Police said Alexander used pieces of cloth from his mattress to make a double noose. Despite reports that Alexander was abused by prisons officers and fellow prisoners, pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov said there were no indications he had been abused.
