A teenage girl (shown here) who was incarcerated in the Horizon Adult Correctional Centre has given the Jamaica Observer a shocking description of what she said was the real story behind the suicide of 16-year-old Vanessa Wint inside the penal facility in November last year.

The nation was shocked to hear of Wint’s death which caused consternation among civil society and ramped up calls for wards of the state to be housed in facilities that are built to accommodate junior offenders and children deemed to be uncontrollable or in need of care and protection.

Wint was a troubled teen who ran away from home on numerous occasions after being sexually molested by an older male in her community, who threatened to kill her parents if she told the tale.

The teen, who was incarcerated at the time Wint took her own life, told the Observer that despite desperate cries to warders by teenaged girls who occupied the cell block that Wint was about to commit suicide, the warders took no action until it was too late.

“Is long time we was bawling out to them and telling them say Vanessa tie the sheet around her neck and going kill herself. All dem do is answer say is attention Vanessa want,” the teenager told the Observer.

Wint, she said, had been in a fight with another girl earlier that day and was punched in the eye. Before she could retaliate warders broke up the scuffle and the child was left to seethe.

According to the teenager, the girl had punched Wint because Wint made a suggestive call to a male warder earlier that day while she was let out of her cell to do laundry.

“She thump Vanessa in her eye and before Vanessa coulda lick her back dem bruk up the fight. Vanessa swear say she must lick back the girl,” the teenager said.

Correctional officers have long been accused of improper conduct and the teenage witness said a warder later came onto the cell block, prompted both girls to fight again and offered the winner of the fight a bag of candies.

“Him say whoever win the fight get the bag a sweetie. Mi bawl out and ask him if a dat him a go catch the people dem pickney with. Him just look pon me and smile,” she said.

Wint, the teen said, lost the second fight and the victor was presented with the bag of candies.

“Vanessa was my friend. She couldn’t fight, she could only use her foot and the next gal beat her up. She did vex bad,” the teenage witness said.

The loser did not take kindly to the defeat and later in the day when prison officials attempted to lock her in her cell for the night, the child fought them off and refused to go into the 10 x 6-foot cage.

“She hold on to the grille and no care how dem try to put her inside her cell she never budge. They sent for some male warders and they beat her with mop sticks. One of them punch her and cut her pan her hand. A so she go inside the cell,” the teenager said.

Wint’s wound was looked after and she was returned to her cell.

But a bigger drama was about to unfold as the child started telling her fellow wards that she wanted to slit her belly and sleep with her tripe, the teen said.

“She walk pan a small ledge and tie the sheet on a big factory fan. She put it round her neck and say she going kill herself. We beg her hard fi come down but she never business. We start call out to the warder dem that Vanessa going kill herself but them say is attention she want. She stand up pan a bucket and when the bucket turn over we start bawl out louder but them never business,” the teen said.

“When dem do come she dead already. And dem start tell we say she no dead but one man come and say @#** she dead,” the child said.

The teenager told the Observer that even after two male inmates from another section of the adult remand centre came and removed the body, warders were constantly telling them that Vanessa was alive and recuperating in hospital.

“But we see police and INDECOM come and investigate. Is so we know say Vanessa dead. Dem too wicked, ’cause one woman warder come and laugh and say a long time she no like Vanessa. Is pure wickedness go on inside there. The girl kill herself in front of all a we and no care how we did a bawl out to the warder dem nobody pay we any mind,” the child said.