The name Darren Banks has blown up this year. Police have put at the center of so many criminal conspiracies, from trying to kill men in broad daylight on crowded streets to smuggling pseudo-ephedrine containers out of the Customs compound. And indeed, he’s been in jail from late October, accused of setting up an attempted murder at noon on Central American Boulevard. But tonight his reputation has gone from Oleander Street don, to a man barely holding unto sanity.
Banks displayed shocking behaviour in open court today, he went to court where his case would have been set for adjournment but instead he appeared to have been suffering from hallucinations. At one point, Banks pointed to the court room floor telling everyone to get out of the way because there were snakes and questioning those in the courtroom if they were not seeing the snakes.
The Chief Magistrate responded by saying and we quote “he is not acting normal...something is not normal with Banks.” His mother, Elida Williams Bonnell pleaded to the Chief Magistrate to send her son home with her because she claims he is being affected from the ill treatment he’s received while on remand. Jacqueline Godwin found out more from the family.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
This is how Darren Banks looked when he appeared at Belize City Magistrate Court on October twenty fourth but when he returned this morning to the courtroom Darren Banks did not appear to be healthy; in fact, he looked disturbed. Elida Williams Bonnell and Deseree Banks allege that their son and husband was tortured while on remand at the Hattieville Prison.
Elida Williams Bonnell, Mother of Darren Banks
“They gave him thing in his food, he has been sleeping in water and they have been going in there beating him. What kind of cell is that that they have at the Kolbe Foundation.”
Deseree Banks claims that when she last saw her husband at the Hattieville Prison on Tuesday morning he did not look well.
Deseree Banks, Wife of Darren Banks
“I saw my husband and I said this is not my husband. He was burnt
up, he was burnt with ashes, his hands were burnt, his eyes were burnt underneath here, he was walking limp, he couldn’t hold up himself and I said this is not my husband. This is not my husband.”
This morning we caught up with the family outside of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Jacqueline Godwin,
What is it you want the DPP to do?
Elida Williams Bonnell,
“I want to find out if they could try and help with the bail so that I can get my son out to take him to a doctor to see what is happening to him. My son is that but I am a child of God and I have to continue being strong for him. I wasn’t a child of Christ but now I am a child of Christ and I thank God that he has touched me. I thank God for that. All I want is my son out that I can attend to him, to see a doctor so that he can get better.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
You understand because your son has been charged so many times with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, you name it, there may be many people out there who may not be sympathizing with you today. As a matter of fact there are also reports that he may be at the center of all of this urban violence in Belize City.
Elida Williams Bonnell,
“Yes I understand all of that but I will let you know something, the police is the one that called my son notorious. The police are the ones that target us everyday. My whole family is targeted. Everyday we are at home and my family is targeted. Friends come there and they target him. What can we do? How can we live and survive in a state like that? My son cannot even work. As he goes to work they try to target him. This is bad, he has a wife with two children. This is bad. Imagine, place yourself in shoes. How you would feel and my dear, Jesus loves each and everyone of us bad or good and we expect people will talk who do not like us. But I do not hate no one, I will not hate no one. When they kill my son Clifford Clare in 2000, when they wanted to kill the young man, I let them know I do not hate him and I do not want nobody to take vengeance.”
Deseree Banks,
“My husband was quite fine, he was the usual Darren Banks himself, robust, strong, energetic, happy.”
The Chief Magistrate explained to the family that they would need to get their attorney Dickie Bradley to apply for bail at the Supreme Court. But she did order that an immediate psychiatric evaluation be done on Darren Banks. The accused was then placed back into custody and his case was adjourned until January twenty second, 2009.
7NEWS understands that Darren Bank’s Attorney Dickie Bradley has applied for bail but that matter will not be heard until next week. So until then Darren Banks is expected to remain behind bars on remand at the Hattieville Prison but he is expected to under go a psychiatric evaluation.
As to any truth to the claims the family has stated about Darren Banks being tortured at Hattieville Prison, 7NEWS tried to get comment from Kolbe Foundation but our attempts were unsuccessful.
