Mother of Bahamian who died in Haiti slams ministry

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

THE mother of Christopher Adderley, a Bahamian man who died in custody in Haiti last September, believes her son would still be alive if Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials had “listened to her and done their job” instead of ignoring her pleas for help.

In an interview with The Tribune, Sharon Rosemary Adderley said she “begged and pleaded” with officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell, to ensure that her son received the medication he needed while incarcerated in Port-de-Paix for the blood clots in his leg.

Instead, Mrs Adderley claimed that she was allegedly scammed out of “$20,000” by a Haitian lawyer and ignored “time and time again” by ministry officials in Haiti until her son “died a slow, painful death.”

Last September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement confirmed that after nearly two years in custody in Haiti, Mr Adderley died on Tuesday, September 22, 2015.

Mr Adderley and another Bahamian were in custody in Port-de-Paix since February 16, 2014, according to the ministry’s statement, which did not indicate the reason for his detention or the enforcement agency involved.

Mrs Adderley said the last time she saw her son alive was on February 15, 2014. She said he left Stella Maris airport in Long Island for Haiti allegedly to pick up a friend and fellow pilot, Hughie Gray. Mrs Adderley said when her son did not return home, she learned that his plane had crashed in bushes slightly off the runway at an airport in Cape Haitien and that he and the other pilot were being held for questioning in connection with allegedly trafficking in illicit drugs.

This is when Mrs Adderley said her nightmare began.

After a year of attempting to contact Mr Mitchell and receive assistance from the ministry to get her son out of jail, Mrs Adderley said she learned he was sick in January 2015.

“I got a text from a lady in Haiti saying he was very sick,” she told The Tribune. “I spoke to him in January and he said he was having really bad pains in his legs and he could not get any medication or pain killers from anyone at the prison. Christopher was on medication for blood clots in his legs and needed his medicine daily. I spoke with Christopher regularly and in April he told me his leg was worse and he still had not received any help. I spoke to the (deputy Bahamian consulate in Haiti) and begged him to check on Christopher.

“He told me that the prison was three hours away and he could not go at that time. In September it got worse, I asked (the official) again to please check on Christopher and take him the medication, because at this time, it had been eight months since Christopher complained about pains and no one was helping him.”

“On the 7th (of September) I asked (the official) again and then on the 10th I called back and pleaded with him, he still did not go. On the 13th, I spoke with Christopher and he told me not to worry about his leg anymore and to make sure to tell everyone to go to church and give their life to Christ, that is when I knew he had given up and he was going to die.

“I spoke with (the ministry official) on the 20th and begged him to please carry the medication or Christopher would die, he promised me he would go. Three days later my son was dead.”

Mrs Adderley said she was in a class on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 when she learned Christopher had died in his jail cell one day earlier. She said when his body was brought to New Providence she had an autopsy done and learned that he died from a heart attack after a blood clot travelled to his heart. She said she was told he had “dozens of blood clots throughout his entire body.”

Mrs Adderley said she is disheartened by the lack of compassion Mr Mitchell showed her and her family and questioned why no Bahamian officials in Haiti took her son the medication he needed to save his life.

“Why did he have to suffer so long without any help? Why didn’t they help him? We give free health care to Haitians in the Bahamas all the time but no one thought my son was worthy enough to have this medication. It is a shame.”

Last week, Mr Mitchell said his ministry is investigating the cause of Mr Adderley’s death.

“We have asked of the Haitian government to disclose to us what happened. But I think there was an issue as to whether an autopsy would be allowed, and so that is an issue I am seeking to investigate because an autopsy may determine what happened and what transpired,” Mr Mitchell said.

He explained that the ministry is responsible for providing a couple of services when someone is arrested or detained: to ensure their access to a lawyer and access to their families.

“So in this instance all of those services were provided, including regular consular visits,” Mr Mitchell said. “Any time complaints were made there were responses made to those complaints.”

The other Bahamian man who was incarcerated with Mr Adderley was released from the Haitian prison and is now in the Bahamas.

Comments

TalRussell says...

Comrades what in the hell was allowed happen here. What, no members Bahamaland's Lawyers Bar rushing to defend one they own?
Oh yeah, its the Haitian and not we own government doing the imprisonment?
Has any local lawyer ever filed suit against a foreign government on behalf a Bahamalander?
I didn't think so.

Posted 29 February 2016, 1:39 p.m. Suggest removal

GrassRoot says...

Tal, I agree, albeit I somewhat can rationalize the lack of compassion and empathy of our politicians when it comes to illegal immigrants in the Bahamas, I am blown away by the utter lack of action, interest to undertake whatever it takes to get the Bahamian in custody the legal and medical support required to survive and to push politically to get him out. I wonder how many flight miles Mr. Mitchell has collected going to all the fancy places on the planet since this man of ours has been booked in Haiti - and he can not go toe Port au Prince to get this man out of this? THERE YOU HAVE IT. HE HAS DONE SQUAT TO SAFE A BAHAMIAN CAUGHT UP IN THE HAITIAN PRISON SYSTEM. And now our Fred Extraordinaire is complaining about Cuba/the U.S. not doing anything about the two Cubans in the Bahamas

Posted 29 February 2016, 2:36 p.m. Suggest removal

birdiestrachan says...

I am sorry for Ms: Adderley and the loss of her son. But what I can not understand since she was sending so much money. Why did she not go to Haiti to see about her son? I am sure this has to be a part of her regrets. Many mothers would have done just that.

Posted 29 February 2016, 5:19 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

The mother had one basic problem ......... she was from Long Island

Posted 29 February 2016, 6:11 p.m. Suggest removal

EasternGate says...

This pompous ass Mitchel all over television cause' he can't take last

Posted 29 February 2016, 7:48 p.m. Suggest removal

JJSherman says...

The Bahamian Government is a bunch of sorry officials, they don't care about none of the Bahamians except their friends and families. In 2003 I traveled to Nassau, where I brought my Mom R.I.P who contacted me and informed me that my sister and her daughters was abusing her, well to say I contacted the officials about my Mom and no one wanted to help me, so I went home and brought my Mom back to the USA to live with me, I gave up my home in FL where I was unable to obtain medical help for my Mom but thanks to a friend in CA who informed me as long as my Mom entered the USA legally that I could bring her to CA and they would give me medical care for her. I did and on Feb 11th, 2009 my Mom was not well and she was taken to hospital Loma Linda Medical Medical Center, in Loma Linda, CA there she was given the best care that money can buy, she finally passed away on May 11th, 2009. Not only the Government did nothing to assist me with help for my Mom, but the Bank of the Bahamas stole money from my Mom upon her death. I know in my heart when I left the Bahamas on July 17th 1975 with five jars of baby food and two cans of powder milk and no money in my pocket I was doing the right thing, and everyday I thank the Lord for allowing me to trust Him and leave. I pray that this Mother would have peace and comfort I pray that the Lord would hold her heart in the palm of His hands and give her the peace beyond her own understanding. No one should have to go through what this Mother had to go through. And the officials that she have begged and pleaded to help her son, their day will come, for our God don't lie and He don't die or sleep, for He said in His words that just what a man sow he shall also reap and vengeance is not ours. Ms. Adderley needs to pray and leave them at the foot of the cross, for they shall not leave this world until they pay for not helping her.

Posted 29 February 2016, 8:06 p.m. Suggest removal

Log in to comment