Inmate Roy Philoé dies in prison-stabbing |21 August 2018

Thirty-seven-year-old prison inmate, Roy Philoé, succumbed to his injuries at the Anse Boileau clinic following a stabbing incident at the Montagne Posée prison on Sunday. He was declared dead at around 2.35pm at the Anse Boileau health centre.

The suspect in relations to this incident, 24-year-old Ian Sirame, is currently in police custody as the investigation surrounding Philoé’s death continues. He appeared before the court yesterday and will reappear again on October 31.

According to a press communiqué, the police are awaiting autopsy report to establish cause of death.

A repeat offender, Philoé was serving an 18-month sentence for theft and had been admitted to prison a mere 25 days, on July 26, before his untimely death. It should be pointed out that Philoé was granted pardon in 2016 and was released before committing yet another crime.

Philoé was due for release on July 24, 2019.

Meanwhile, in June 2018 Sirame was convicted for three months on the counts of disorderly conduct in police building, nine months for threatening violence and possession of offensive weapon and six months for resisting arrest.

On July 19, 2018, Sirame was convicted a cumulative four and a half years for damaging property and for causing grievous harm. Sirame, who started serving his sentence on July 19, 2018, was due for release on March 18, 2021.

During a press conference held yesterday at the Montagne Posée prison, the Superintendent of the Seychelles Prison, Raymond St. Ange, said that Sunday’s fatal stabbing-incident occurred around 1.40pm while inmates were climbing a staircase.

“As I have been made to understand, Mr Sirame believed that Mr Philoé was in possession of something of interest to him, and Mr Sirame asked Mr Philoé to hand over this item. There are two versions; one that states that the item was a piece of cigarette and another stating that it was a line of heroin worth about R50,” said Mr St. Ange.

According to witnesses’ accounts, Philoé refused to give Sirame the unknown item and hence the accused threatened Philoé.

Still quoting witnesses, Superintendent St. Ange stated that it was then that the “one-sided conflict” happened resulting into Philoé being stabbed twice in the back with a knife that Sirame had hidden underneath his clothes.

“Supposedly Mr Philoé tried to block the blow of the attack and as he was turning was stabbed two times in the left-side of his lower back,” recounted Superintendent St. Ange.

Philoé was immediately removed from the premises for medical assistance, and at that time superintendent St. Ange confirmed that he was still conscious.

“He was walking and talking even though he was bleeding.”

Superintendent St. Ange said that Philoé reached Anse Boileau health centre around 2pm and this is where he lost consciousness. He received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for approximately 30 minutes but was declared dead at about 2.35pm.

Superintendent St. Ange, who was not present during the incident, reached the prison between 2.30pm and 2.40pm to assess the situation along with his team.

Sirame, who was hiding in his unit section, was subsequently apprehended by a team of nine officers, including Superintendent St. Ange, and was later put into police custody.

The team of police officers who came to investigate the scene of the crime received back-up from four officers of the Public Security Support Wing (PSSW).

In the press conference, Superintendent St. Ange also said that Sirame is a health patient who is medicated for behavioural disorder and is an addict as well.

It was confirmed that Sirame was not taking his medication for behavioural disorder and Superintendent St. Ange emphasised that the prison staff cannot force someone to take their medication.

Sirame’s prison admission report reveals that he had previously been remanded for trafficking in controlled drugs in July 2014, and in August of the same year was placed on Coetivy to follow the rehabilitation programme for five and a half months.

To note, Sirame’s stints in the prison system have been filled with numerous incidents – a long list which was detailed out by Superintendent St. Ange.

During his stay at Coetivy Sirame was involved in two fights and in February 2017 he severely injured an Iranian inmate in the neck at the Montagne Posée prison (the case is ongoing).

On May 23, 2018 Sirame attempted to hang himself while in the remand centre and a repeated episode of self-harm occurred on May 25 where he threatened to cut himself with a razor blade and harm the officers in the remand centre.

He was transferred to the Care and Transition prison unit on June 9 following two other incidents of argumentation with and threats to the remand centre officers.

On July 7, Sirame was involved in two separate fights where he wounded two other inmates and both incidents were brought to the attention of the police.

Later, on July 20, Sirame set fire to his mattress in the Care and Transition unit. The prison service was able to contain and stop the fire.

After spending around two weeks in the isolation, Sirame was re-introduced into the prison’s general population.

Superintendent St. Ange affirmed that prison is not an easy environment and that over the past couple of years the prison service has “noted a different category of inmates entering the system”, notably those with drug problems. He further stated that the influence of drugs sometimes leads them to commit various offences in prison.

In order to cater to hardened and dangerous convicts, the prison service is constructing nine secure jail cells with reinforced steel, cameras and toilet facilities. Inmates in these cells will only be allowed one-hour of sunlight in a tiny enclosed outside compound and will spend the rest of the day in their cells.

Currently under construction, several of the cells are expected to be completed by next week and this is where Sirame is expected to be kept when he is sent back to Montagne Posée prison.

Superintendent St. Ange hopes to build 15 of these secured cells in total for high-risk inmates.

Meanwhile, Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon accompanied by Superintendent St. Ange later visited the family members of Roy Philoé.

Marie-Rose Sophola, the victim’s mother, told the media that the prison service did not bring the incident to their attention in the immediate.

Instead, they learned of the incident from the social media platform, Facebook.

She states that it was only a while later – after they had made certain calls to the hospital and to the prison to confirm the incident – that they received a visit from prison officers who informed that he had passed away.

In a separate press conference yesterday at State House, Vice-President Vincent Meriton said the government’s plans are to establish a prison structure that conforms with international standards and which can classify inmates according to severity of their crimes.

This structure will provide all the necessary services including rehabilitation programmes so that the inmates can exit the prison system as reformed members of the society.