-last seen arguing with man on Leopold St
The body of the woman found on the Kitty seawall on Saturday morning with a gaping throat wound was yesterday identified by relatives as that of Claudine Bentham, 43, of Hadfield Street.
Bentham who was unemployed was last seen leaving the Leopold Street area with a “tall” man following an argument and relatives were adamant yesterday that it was he who had committed the brutal act.
The police yesterday said that no suspect had been identified but investigations are ongoing.
The woman was found on the grass beside the seawall between the Celina’s Resort and the Russian Embassy turn early Saturday morning. She was clad in white short pants, a black leotard like top, a yellow zip up jersey and yellow `Gladiator’ sandals.
The body was subsequently taken to Lyken’s Funeral Home and since no one turned up to identify her there were suspicions that she was from out of town.
A close male friend of the woman told this newspaper from his Robb Street home that a man visited him around 12:30 am yesterday and said “ya woman dead. They find she with she throat slit on the sea wall”. The woman, at the time of her death was living with someone else on Hadfield Street.
The man who had his legs amputated several years ago and is confined to a wheelchair said that he visited the parlour several hours later and because it was early, was shown a photograph of the dead woman’s face. It was then that his worst fears where confirmed and he immediately informed the woman’s relatives who live in Leopold Street.
Bentham’s brother, William Alfred said that he became aware of a relationship between his sister and the “tall man” about a month ago. He said that he had known the man for about seven months from the Albouystown area. The two, he said, would usually be in the Leopold Street area.
He recalled that last Thursday, the two had an argument and he tried to make peace between them. They subsequently left the area.
According to Alfred, around 10 pm the following day, the man who appeared to be confused came and asked him for Bentham.
He said that he replied that he hadn’t seen her since the previous night and noticed that there were dried droplets of blood on his hand and foot. “He din deh speedy speedy bad”, he said adding that he even asked the man why he was behaving so.
Other relatives this newspaper spoke with recalled seeing the couple around 7:30 pm last Friday arguing. From all accounts, the man had something for Bentham which he was refusing to hand over.
“Give me mah thing, Give me mah thing”, a relative recalled hearing just before the two walked into a restaurant.
Relatives told Stabroek News that they believe Bentham was lured to the area where she was killed.
Alfred also told this newspaper that during last week, his sister informed him that the suspect had threatened to kill her but he passed it off as a joke. The suspect he added was very jealous of his sister.
“A beast”
Relatives said yesterday that Bentham was an outgoing person who liked to party a lot and did not deserve such a death.
“This was a cruel person man! He is a beast!”, her mother, Claudette exclaimed fighting back tears.
Claudette recalled that while at her Diamond, East Bank Demerara home she received a call from a niece informing her of the death. The grief stricken woman told this newspaper that she saw her daughter two Fridays ago at her Hadfield Street home and she was not her self.
She explained that she hardly wanted to answer her and left the house saying that she was coming back. Claudette said that she too left after the woman failed to return.
“This is a shock to me. She was my only daughter”, she said fighting back tears. The woman said that she knows her daughter fought hard to stay alive.
Relatives said that the person she lives with did not go to tell them that she was missing. From all accounts this person is not the suspect.
Bentham’s cousin Rosaline Browne said that the incident had left her in shock and at no time did she express any fears to her.
The woman is the third victim of a savage knife attack on the seawall in just over seven months. The other two cases remain unsolved.