Ex-prisoner suing Government for impotence

A former inmate is suing the State for an erectile condition that he reportedly developed while in state care which has left him impotent.

He is seeking millions of dollars in compensation.

The claimant, Rupert Campbell, had developed an episode of priapism, prolonged erection not caused by sexual stimulation or interest.

The claimant, who reportedly underwent three surgeries because of the condition, is claiming that he developed the condition in 2006 after he was given pills by the prison’s health worker following a seizure.

The 54-year-old Manchester labourer is claiming negligence damages after contending that prison officials had ignored his repeated requests for a medical examination after he developed a persistent erection and was in pain. Five days reportedly passed before he was taken to hospital.

The claim, which is against the attorney general, was to begin on Monday in the Supreme Court but was pushed back to September 19.

Attorney-at-law Ian Davis, who is representing the claimant, along with Danielle Archer, said that the matter was set before Justice Dale Palmer. But when the case was called up, the judge explained that he was once affiliated with the Attorney General’s Department and thus recused himself from the trial. The case was placed on the priority list as the suit was filed from 2011.

Campbell was convicted of carnal abuse in 2004 and transferred to the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre.

While there, he alleges that in February 2006, he had an epileptic seizure and blacked out. When he woke up in the medical ward, he said he was given six pills by the medical orderly. Among the medication, he charged, were three brown pills that he had never taken before.

Campbell further alleged that on February 21 that year, he began to feel uneasy and developed a mild erection which lasted the entire day and could not pass his urine.

According to the claimant, the condition worsened the following morning and he went to the medical dispensary in pain and tears but was told by the orderly that he had developed a bladder infection. He was also given two yellow pills.

The claimant said that he had never been examined at that time.

Campbell claimed he took the pills but the pain and erection intensified. As result, he allegedly returned them to the orderly, as he was still not able to urinate. However, he said despite complaining that the pills were not working, he was given more medication.

The very next day, Campbell alleged that he demanded to be seen by a doctor but that request was not actioned.

Claiming that the pain grew more intense, Campbell was eventually taken to hospital on February 26 after he complained to the acting superintendent.

Campbell was taken to the Spanish Town Hospital but was transferred to the Kingston Public Hospital, where he immediately underwent minor surgery to ease a clogged vein.

Campbell claimed he underwent two more surgeries, including a major one to address the erection.

But sometime after the surgery, the claimant said that he realised he was impotent.

The claimant was examined in 2015 by urologist Dr William Aiken, who diagnosed him with severe permanent erectile dysfunction.

According to the doctor, the claimant’s impotence was likely a result of scarring of functional erectile tissue in his penis from the prolonged erection and delayed treatment.

The situation can, however, be rectified with a penile implant, the doctor said.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com