Pride and emotions ran high behind the walls at Westgate yesterday as four inmates were rewarded for months of hard work by being presented with their GED certificates.

For Sanchea Douglas, and his father, Shane Todd, the achievement was overwhelming with both men breaking down in tears as they embraced during the ceremony. The moment was all the more extraordinary as both father and son are serving time at Westgate with Mr Todd being given permission to attend the event at his son’s request.

Mr Douglas was jailed for four years in 2013 for his role in a mugging, while Mr Todd is serving 15 years for serious offences committed in 2004.

Mr Douglas, 20, told The Royal Gazette: “For me it is emotional. When I was young my father was not there, and I was raised by my mother.

“I have got to know my father while I have been in prison and I wanted him to be proud of me and experience this moment with me.

“He has really encouraged me on this journey and has given me the strength to complete my studies.

“This is just the beginning because I don’t want my children going through what I did.

“I want to make sure that in the future people can look up to me.”

Another proud father at yesterday’s graduation ceremony was Donald Weeks, whose 38-year-old son, Tio, was presented with his GED certificate.

Mr Weeks Junior, who is serving two years for a serious assault, said: “The hardest process for me was settling down into the books and learning again.

“I left school at a very young age and it’s been a long time since I have studied and I had to humble myself.

“But getting this certificate means a great deal, and it is the first step to many possibilities.”

Mr Weeks Senior added: ‘For me it’s a proud moment to see him moving forward.

“People make wrong choices, but sometimes it takes them time to see the light and I am proud that he has done that.”

Ezra Ararat and Karim Clarke made up the quartet that were presented with their GED certificates during yesterday’s graduation ceremony, which was attended by Senator Jeff Baron as well as prison and educational staff and the prisoners’ families.

Mr Ararat, who was jailed for six years in 2012 for his role in an attack on two people trying to buy drugs, said: “Taking this course was a long journey for me; I was 13 when I left school.

“The teachers here worked really hard with me and persisted with me when I wanted to give up.

“When I first started, I did not think I could complete it, so this certificate means everything now and it gives me opportunities for the future.”

Commissioner of Corrections, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Lamb, praised the four inmates for their dedication to their studies.

He added: “This is a milestone in their life and I am proud of each and every one of them.

“They are proof of what can take place within these walls and that positive things do happen inside Westgate.

“This is just a little step for these men. But we are here to change lives and these men are proof of that.”