Bleeding sends inmate to hospital

A 26-year-old male inmate at the Sampaloc police station is now fighting for his life after he was rushed to a hospital due to profuse bleeding in his rectum.

Police are also baffled by the real identity of the inmate who gave three different names to arresting officers and the inquest fiscal.

The inmate was brought to the police station by barangay officials last Saturday after he was mauled by a mob that caught him stealing a motorcycle along P. Noval Street, Sampaloc.

The suspect initially gave his name as Ronald Paquitan, of Almeda Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila. However, during a routine head count, he identified himself to the jailer as Ruperto Paquinol.

At his inquest, he again changed his name to Ronald Paquinon.

After spending three days in detention, Paquinol complained of bleeding from the anus which worsened past midnight Wednesday. The inmate was first brought to the Ospital ng Sampaloc and was later transferred to the Ospital ng Maynila due to his serious condition. He has remained unconscious and is now in critical condition.

Superintendent Quirico Vinagrera, deputy commander of Western Police District Station 4, has started a probe into the circumstances surrounding the inmate’s mysterious ailment.

A medical certificate, issued by the Ospital ng Sampaloc following the inmate’s mauling, revealed that the suspect suffered hematomas and abrasions on various parts of the body. There was no mention of any bleeding, specifically in his rectum, at that time.

Vinagrera said it is quite improbable that the said inmate would suffer bleeding, more so in the anus, three days after the mauling incident.

Police sources said there was a strong possibility that the inmate was a victim of prison rape. However, co-detainees of the victim kept mum when The STAR tried to interview them.

Vinagrera said he would talk individually with the inmates to get the truth. The night-duty jailer will also be questioned.

He noted that because the victim gave fictitious names and addresses, his relatives could not be immediately informed about his condition.