THE
LAST TWENTY FOUR HOURS
The ship docks in St. Maarten. |
July
19, 2002
8:00 AM
Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas arrives
in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. It is the biggest cruise
ship in the world and with 15 decks can accommodate
3000 passengers. It is day 6 of an 8 day cruise.
3:11
PM
The
last time 31-year-old Canadian tourist O’Neil
Persaud enters his room at the Great Bay Hotel
and Casino on St. Maarten. He takes his passport,
some cash and his Bible.
A surveillance video captures
Persaud boarding the boat. |
4:40
PM
O’Neil
Persaud boards Adventure of the Seas through one
of the passenger gangways with a woman, probably
using someone else's passenger ID card. Although
he is not a registered passenger, he is undetected
by ship security.
6:00
PM
Adventure
of the Seas leaves Philipsburg, St. Maarten for
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. O'Neil Persaud
remains on board with 3000 other passengers.
9:45
PM
On
the ship, Persaud approaches a crew member for help.
He says he hasn't eaten or slept for 2 days, that
he walked on board, and needed to leave St. Maarten.
He says he was assaulted twice and once with a broken
bottle on the island. Ship crew suspect Persaud
is on drugs. Staff Captain Darin Bowland orders
security to put Persaud in a holding cell. He is
given food, but eats little.
The following account of the last 14 hours of
O'Neil Persaud's life relies on statements provided
by the ship's crew and federal authorities for the
Virgin Islands Police Department. There is no statement
from O'Neil Persaud. (read
excerpts from police statements by the ship's crew)
10:30
PM
Ship
doctor Carlos Renowizky evaluates Persaud. He appears
to be oriented and alert.
10:45
PM
Staff
Captain Darin Bowland is called by Deputy Security
Officer Raymond Newell about a stowaway onboard.
He goes to the isolation room where Newell and Dr.
Renowizky are with Persaud. He looks at Persaud's
Canadian passport and prints out the procedures
for dealing with a stowaway. The doctor tells him
that Persaud is making little sense but is alluding
to having drugs. They decide to test for drugs and
Persaud agrees. He tests positive for THC, an indication
of marijuana. Bowland contacts Royal Caribbean in
Miami to tell them Persaud is onboard. Royal Caribbean
calls authorities in St. Thomas. Bowland tells the
Security Officer to check on Persaud every hour.
(read Bowland's statement)
the fifth estate obtained copies
of the ship's log and the crew's statements
to police. |
July
20, 2002
Midnight 5:45 AM
Persaud
is kept in the isolation
cell overnight. He sleeps, smokes, drinks water
and reads a Bible. A security guard checks on him
every 15 minutes. (read
excerpts from police statements by the ship's crew)
5:45
AM
Security
guards want the holding cell door shut; Persaud
wants it open. There is an argument. Persaud tries
to run down the corridor. He refuses to go back
in the isolation room and sits in the corridor instead.
6:00
AM
Dr.
Renowizky returns to check on Persaud and finds
him agitated and being controlled by two security
officers. The doctor speaks to him and convinces
him to calm down because they are arriving shortly
in St. Thomas where he will be able to get off the
ship. The doctor tells Persaud to return to the
room, but Persaud says he is claustrophic. The doctor
says if he stays calm the door can stay open. Persaud
returns to his room and sits on the bed. The door
is left open and 2 security guards are left as sentries.
Persaud is restrained in a
Neil Robertson stretcher.
Dramatic Recreation. |
6:50
AM
Ship
safety officer Kevin Costello is called to assist
with Persaud. Persaud is yelling "O God help
me.” Persaud screams at Costello for help.
Costello tries to calm him down, and tells him they
are docking soon. Persaud shouts "have mercy
please." He pushes Costello and tries to run
past him down the corridor. Costello and the 2 guards
hold Persaud by his arms, chest and legs and manoeuvre
him into a Neil Robertson stretcher. Persaud shows
surprising strength and resists. He calms down but
is repeatedly asking, "why." Costello
tells Persaud that he must stay there until they
dock. The stretcher is not fully buckled tight and
Persaud has calmed down. Costello tells him he will
be put back in the room on the floor, and Persaud
says not to close the door. Costello tells him he
will place him so that his legs will hold the door
open and if he lies still the door will stay open.
Persaud is back in the isolation room and 2 security
guards are left with him.
7:25
AM
Costello
returns to his office but soon hears a loud bang.
He goes to the isolation room and the door is shut.
The guards tell him Persaud was continually moving
the stretcher and tried to escape. In the cell,
Persaud is shouting. He sits on the bed, picks up
his bible and continues to stare at the window.
7:35
AM
Persaud
rips a piece of metal trim from the inside of the
cell and cuts himself. He smears the blood on the
walls. He is shouting "why." Security
guards decide to handcuff him and put him back in
the stretcher. After Persaud ignores the security
guards’ warnings to calm down, four men enter
the isolation room, put him on the bed, handcuff
his hands behind his back, lift him into the stretcher
and secure the straps. A doctor examines Persaud
in the stretcher and decides his cut is not serious.
Security guards move Persaud to another isolation
room and place him on the bed next to the wall so
that he cannot fall off.
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