The family of 31 year old Clifford Hyde - who is an inmate at the Belize Central Prison - came to our newsroom claiming he had been beaten.
Now, Clifford Hyde is not a man easily sympathized with: In January of 2006, he along with his brother Russel, were sentenced to 12 years in jail for the slaying of Allyson Castillo outside of a Belmopan nightclub.
But his family says he was beaten by someone in authority at the prison and they have been strictly denied any access to find out anything about his condition:
Angela Hyde, Sister-in-law
"A family member from the KOLBE Foundation calls and says that some of the officers beat Clifford Hyde - my brother in-law and so we got an attorney Oswald Twist and when he went there the people at the prison refuse to give him the visit. So he wrote letters and submitted to them so that he can get a visit to know the condition that Clifford is in. Because if the beat him up bad we don't know. He wrote letters and quote the law saying that how they should not deny access to him the attorney, with all of that they refuse to allow him he visit. He advises us to come to the media so that maybe with that it will persuade them for us to see the condition of Clifford."
"They don't us anything, they just say that he refuses us to visit him, we know that that is not true because he wants people to know what happen to him and he want someone to visit him so that he can explain what happen to him but they want anybody to visit him even the attorney. We want to know his condition if he is alright or is he got hurt badly."
Monica Bodden
"So at this point no one knows the extent of his injuries?"
Angela Hyde, Sister-in-law
"No, no one knows. They are just saying that he is lockdown and we don't know what is his condition."
According to Hyde's Attorney, Oswald Twist, - under the prison laws it clearly states that a prisoner is allowed access to his legal advisor.
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