A lengthy list of mistakes led up to dangerous offender Jermaine Carvery’s brazen midday escape last month, an internal review of the incident concludes.
Justice Minister Cecil Clarke yesterday presented the details of the review around Carvery’s April 3 escape from custody in the Victoria General hospital parking lot.
“Practices at a management and operational level need to have stricter adherence and in fact, much greater clarity,” Clarke said at a hastily organized press conference at Province House yesterday afternoon.
The 21 findings in the report include the discovery that Carvery was not searched before leaving the Burnside jail; the two guards escorting him could not see him clearly as he sat in the back of the transport van, possibly tampering with his shackles; and the time between his escape and the guards calling police – about 11 minutes – was excessive.
Michel Samson, Liberal justice critic, voiced his concerns about the results of the review saying, “I think Nova Scotians would be disturbed to see that basic procedures … were clearly not being followed.”
Further findings of the report show that background information about Carvery was not up-to-date and a previous escape attempt from court cells in Toronto was not properly filed.
Clarke said Carvery should have been assessed as a “high” risk for transport based on his criminal record which includes attempted murder and a string of violent robberies, as well as his history of escapes.
The report outlines 12 recommendations, one of which is to review training and experience requirements for staff doing escorts.
Another is to amend the escort policy to include previous serious crimes and escape attempts in a higher risk category.
Carvery is still on the loose and Halifax Regional Police said the search is still ongoing.
-robyn.young@metronews.ca
