Wayne Munroe speaks in the House of Assembly on October 15, 2025. Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
ATTORNEY General Wayne Munroe says the family of an inmate who died weeks after being sent back to prison would not have been watching him while he served his time, as he questioned their claims that the prison neglected him.
Thomas Jean-Baptiste, who had diabetes, morbid obesity and a history of potentially life-threatening blood clots, died on October 4 after about two weeks in hospital. He had been back in the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services for less than three months after the Court of Appeal revoked his medical bail in July.
His sister, Alicia Jean Baptiste, has accused prison officials of failing to consistently give him medication he had bought himself before returning to custody, including one drug she said cost nearly $300. She alleged he was supposed to be housed in the prison infirmary but spent about a month in the intake section before being moved to an area with no air conditioning, where he frequently lost electricity and was far from the infirmary. She also said he complained so often about prison food that he sometimes barely ate, relying on meals bought by relatives.
By the time doctors discussed discharging him from hospital, after two medical episodes had left him unable to speak or move one side of his body, he cried at the prospect of being returned to prison, she said. The family was told officials were concerned about taking him back to the prison infirmary because it was on the second floor and his size would make it difficult to get him upstairs.
“We represent the government,” Mr Munroe said, “so if those people feel that they have the evidence to prove that, because he died in custody at prison, there could be a coroner’s inquest, and then the matter goes from there.”
Under the Coroners Act, a death in custody must be reported to the coroner, and a coroner who opens an inquiry into the death of a prisoner must hold an inquest. The Attorney General is entitled to appear at inquests and receives the coroner’s findings.
“I’m not understanding how they could have that feeling or come to that conclusion,” Mr Munroe said. He said he did not think relatives were allowed inside the prison.
He claimed the prison has a full medical department, including psychiatrists, and that Jean-Baptiste was housed right next to it. When a doctor and his team felt they could not manage him, they sent him to hospital, Mr Munroe said.
Last week, National Security Minister Myles LaRoda said prison officials were confident Jean-Baptiste had received adequate care. He said the commissioner of corrections had advised him that Jean-Baptiste was unwell when he entered prison, was referred to hospital for treatment and was then returned to the institution, where he was housed in a dormitory near the infirmary rather than in a cell and had access to medication.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville has since said his ministry is investigating whether Jean-Baptiste received adequate treatment and whether his transfer to Princess Margaret Hospital could have been expedited. Dr Darville said preliminary findings indicated he had received medication and treatment while incarcerated.
Ms Jean Baptiste rejected the government’s position.
She said the family needed further legal proceedings to secure his release, but he died before they could pursue them.
In July, the Court of Appeal rejected Jean-Baptiste’s challenge to his sentences, ruling that his medical conditions did not justify reducing them or replacing them with a non-custodial penalty. It revoked his bail and ordered him back to prison to serve the remainder of concurrent sentences of three years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and two years for possession of ammunition.
During the appeal, consultant urologist Dr Robin Roberts warned that Jean-Baptiste’s conditions placed him at high risk of serious complications, including another pulmonary embolism and potentially fatal infection. The court placed greater weight on prison physician Dr Scavella, who said the institution could manage his illnesses and transfer him to Princess Margaret Hospital if specialised treatment became necessary. The court said he could seek relief through the Prerogative of Mercy if prison authorities could not provide adequate care.
Jean-Baptiste was convicted on November 10, 2025, after police found a firearm containing five rounds of ammunition in his vehicle during a traffic stop in April 2023. He was granted bail on medical grounds the following month.
His sister said his death had devastated his family, including his three children. She described him as an outgoing man known through his work as a boat captain.