Commissioner of Corrections June Spence Jarrett testified yesterday that one of her senior managers had lied to her about servicing fire extinguishers for the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre in St Ann.

Spence Jarrett, who was on the stand on Day 29 of the commission of enquiry into a May 22 fire that left seven wards of the State dead at Armadale, said Neilson Anderson, the property manager at the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), told her that he had obeyed orders to service fire extinguishers for the facility.

Yesterday, Spence Jarrett, who said she had not known that only one fire extinguisher was at Armadale on the night of the fire, admitted that she had received a letter last December requesting that the extinguishers be serviced. She said she handed the letter to Anderson, who told her at a later date that he had done the work. When asked by commissioner of the enquiry, retired Justice Paul Harrison, about what she did after she realised the work had not been done, she replied, "He's on leave, sir, when he comes back."

Extinguishers not provided

Last month, Anderson told the enquiry that he had received a letter in December which stated that eight fire extinguishers were needed at Armadale, in addition to four that required servicing. However, he explained that he did not do anything as he had not been provided with the type of extinguishers that were required. For those that needed servicing, Anderson eventually admitted he had been dealing with other institutions.

In response to questions about the suitability of the dorm that was gutted by fire, Spence Jarrett said she had not inspected the building but said that it was inappropriate because of the bathroom and the single entrance.

She also agreed that the dorm was overcrowded, but when quizzed about what steps she had taken, Spence Jarrett said that the DCS was facing financial difficulties. She said that 73 per cent of the money allocated to it went to salaries, with only 27 per cent to deal with "everything else, including feeding the girls".

Spence Jarrett resumes her testimony at the National Volunteer Centre on Camp Road in St Andrew today.

kimesha.walters@gleanerjm.com