An ex-policeman was remanded to prison yesterday when he was charged two years after he allegedly chopped his wife and her children.
Shawn Fordyce ap-peared before Magis-trate Susanna Lovell at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court yesterday where he was slapped with the indictable charge of attempted murder.
The specifics of the charge stated that on August 1, 2013, Fordyce, armed with a cutlass dealt several chops to his wife, Dorothy Blackman Fordyce, 47, and her three daughters; Latoya Wilson, 20, Dollette Fordyce, 12, and Wanda Fortune at their ‘D’ Field Sophia home.
According to the prosecution’s facts, Shawn and Dorothy have been married for 13 years and Shawn would often verbally abuse Dorothy. On the day in question around 9 pm, Dorothy was preparing to go for an outing with her sister when Shawn became annoyed and began to protest against her going out. She changed her mind and instead was going to a nearby shop with her three daughters to purchase a phone card when she hear footsteps running behind her. She turned around and saw Fordyce who then went in front of her, dipped water and mud from a nearby pothole and threw it on her. Shawn then stepped back about three feet and pulled out a cutlass from under his jersey. Upon seeing the cutlass she turned to block her face and her granddaughter and felt a chop to her left shoulder. She fell to the ground and lost consciousness for a few minutes. After she regained consciousness she couldn’t move her left hand. She then saw Fordyce and pleaded with him, but he allegedly chopped her to her head and she lost consciousness again.
After Dorothy fainted, her daughters started screaming for help and tried to assist her, but Fordyce reportedly rushed to them and hacked each of them several times about their bodies.
Fordyce then escaped and eluded the police for two years and was finally picked up on Tuesday by the police at the junction of Church and Alexander streets.
Fordyce was subsequently remanded by Magistrate Lovell. His next court date is November 12.
