There is no need to investigate the death of Sandra Alli who reportedly suffered abuse at the hands of relatives, according to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud, after an autopsy found she died of natural causes.
“The woman died of natural causes and police don’t investigate deaths of this nature,” Persaud said when questioned about whether police were still investigating the woman’s death.
Earlier, Stabroek News had reported Persaud as saying that persons who made reports of abuse allegedly suffered by the deceased cancer patient Alli were yet to provide police with statements. However, Persaud pointed out that what he meant was that before charges could have been instituted, the now dead woman would have had to have given police a statement.
Sharon Harding, a close friend who was instrumental in getting Alli out of her alleged abusive situation shortly before her death, had told Stabroek News that the post-mortem examination done of the woman’s body revealed that there were marks of violence to the back and possible blunt trauma to the head.
Harding had reported that following the autopsy, Government Pathologist Nehaul Singh spoke with her and it was from him she had learnt of these marks of violence. Dr. Singh has been unavailable for comment.
Harding and other persons who had worked to get the Human Services Ministry involved in the matter had hoped that following the findings of the autopsy police would have been able to institute charges against the relatives who allegedly abused Alli.
In a statement to the police, a probation officer, who had visited Alli at home, wrote that they had received repeated reports about her being abused in her home. During a subsequent interview, the officer further wrote, Alli recounted to them instances of abuse she had suffered.
Following Alli’s death on September 13, Persaud had earlier told Stabroek News, a report was made through the Ministry of Human Services by Harding to the Alberttown Police Station. Persaud had also confirmed that a post-mortem examination conducted on the woman’s body revealed that she died from cancer but no mention was made of marks of violence being discovered and what implications these would have on Alli’s case.
This is not the first time the results of a post-mortem have determined whether or not police would continue investigating a case.
Patricia Beepat, Jairool Rohoman, Indramattie Boladass and Esther Albert (in order of most recent occurrence) lost their lives between January and August this year. Their families have been fighting to have the women’s deaths investigated as murders despite inconclusive post-mortem examinations or results which reflected that death resulted from a natural cause.
The case of Boladass has many similarities with Alli’s; that is, the alleged abuse and a post-mortem which revealed that death was caused naturally but also found marks of violence about the body.
An autopsy had showed that Boladass died of a heart attack and also found that her hip was fractured and four ribs broken. Relatives had insisted that the heart attack was induced by the beating they believe she suffered at the hands of her husband.
Rampertab Boladass denied beating his wife when Stabroek News had subsequently spoken with him.
The widower allegedly beat Boladass severely on March 2. This allegation has since been supported by several neighbours, other residents and the dead woman’s relatives.
Despite this, Persaud had said Boladass’s case was closed. “You reported that she [Boladass] died of a heart-attack,” Persaud had said when questioned. “She died of a natural cause so what is there to investigate?”
