It has been almost one month since 11-year-old Ricky Samaroo has been admitted as a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Burn Care Unit, where he is being treated for second and third degree burns about his body.
Ricky was allegedly set alight at his East Canje, Berbice home by his father,
Ravendra Samaroo, 35, a field foreman at GuySuCo’s Rose Hall Estate who has since been charged with attempted murder.
He was due to appear at court yesterday and relatives of the child say they hope that he faces the full brunt of the law at the conclusion of the court proceedings.
Since the boy’s admittance as a patient at the hospital, a close source told Stabroek News that he has been showing signs of slow improvement. The source said he has been eating and responding, including still expressing fears over what had transpired.
The child, according to the source, is an ‘A’ grade student who had recently sat the National Grade Six examination and is awaiting his results. Every day, the source said, he has been stressing on getting better quickly so that he can attend his new school after the results are released.
Ricky is scheduled to undergo surgeries and doctors have been monitoring his condition closely in order to move forward.
The attack on the boy occurred on May 7th, after Ricky tried to dissuade his father, who had been drinking, from leaving to purchase more alcohol. As a result, the man allegedly dealt the child several lashes with long boots and his belt, then doused the child with methylated spirits and lit him on fire. Ricky sustained burns to his face, chest, and the lower part of his abdomen.
After being set alight, Ricky ran over to his neighbours, who rushed him to the New Amsterdam Hospital, from where he was transferred to the city.
