 A senior air force commander charged with murdering two women was placed on a suicide watch when he arrived at a provincial jail in Napanee because of his bizarre behaviour. (LUKE HENDRY/QMI Agecny)
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KINGSTON, Ont. - A senior air force commander charged with murdering two women was placed on a suicide watch when he arrived at a provincial jail in Napanee because of his bizarre behaviour, QMI Agency has learned.
Col. Russell Williams was acting as though he was a prisoner of war when he was first processed at the Quinte Detention Centre. He would only give authorities his name, rank and serial number.
Williams was assessed by a psychiatrist and he was deemed a possible suicide risk. His demeanor has been described as “cocky” but “vacant.”
He was given a tear and burn-proof outfit, known among jail workers as an “oven mitt” or “baby doll” to wear.
It is a thick gown, made from an impervious material, with holes for arms and head. The wearer is stripped of personal clothing, including underwear and other personal effects.
Williams was placed in a segregation cell where he could be monitored continually by security staff and where he had no privacy. The suicide watch segregation cell does not have a screen or covering over the barred front so that staff can see inside at all times.
Williams’ mattress was removed in the daytime and returned only at night.
On Wednesday, Williams was allowed to exchange his suicide gown for a regular, orange jumpsuit that is issued to most prisoners at Quinte, a crowded provincial holding and remand centre. Most of the inmates at the facility are awaiting trial.
Built to hold nearly 100 inmates, Quinte is often jammed with 300 or more prisoners. In some cases, inmates sleep on mattresses in hallways or placed on the floor of cells.
Williams remains in a segregation cell by himself with no contact with other inmates.
He has spoken very little and often refuses to make eye contact with jail staff.
His next court appearance will be by video link from the detention centre. Inmates are taken to a room in the centre where they stand in front of a camera, monitor and telephone that is part of a network connected to provincial courthouses.
The system allows routine remands to be conducted without the expense and time of shuttling prisoners from jails to court buildings.
Defence lawyers are still able to talk to the accused on a secure phone line.
rtripp@thewhig.com
