A court in Guyana on Wednesday awarded a 56-year-old Jamaican woman millions of dollars in compensation after she was illegally detained in prison for eight months.
Acting Chief Justice Roxane George awarded G$3.1 million to the woman, who was identified as Sandra Russell.
Her attorney, Darren Wade, filed a lawsuit against the State for breach of Miss Russell's fundamental rights to freedom after she was imprisoned by members of the Guyana Police Force.
The Jamaican woman had asked the State for G$10 million for each day she was in unlawful custody, more than $20 million for the inhumane and degrading treatment she endured in the lock-up, $20 million for the breach of her freedom of movement and $50 million for false imprisonment.
Miss Russell was detained at a police station in the capital, Georgetown, shortly after being released from prison after serving a sentence for trafficking narcotics.
She said she had become depressed and stressed since the ventilation at the station was poor and she had been forced to sleep on a thin mattress on the concrete floor.
In 2018, Russell was sentenced to eight months in prison and fined $135,000 for the possession of 70 grams of cannabis.
Her sentence was later reduced to three and a half months.
However, on November 10, 2018, Russell was released into the custody of a female immigration officer who told her that she would be deported to Jamaica.
But that never materialised and instead she was kept in custody at the lock-up and released eight months later, on July 7, 2019, on $10,000 bail.
Lawyers representing the State had asked the High Court to dismiss the application claiming that the Jamaican Consulate in Guyana could not ascertain Miss Russell's identity and links to Jamaica, which prompted further investigations since her deportation was now complicated.
The lawyers argued that Russell was kept in custody according to the Immigration Act and was considered a prohibited immigrant while an investigation was being conducted on her identity.
But in her ruling, the acting Chief Justice, said the State must do better in regard to facilities for the incarceration of persons.
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