Dear Editor,
I have been living in Canada for 25 years. I am seeking your media’s help to reopen a cold case. The crime occurred on December 27, 2002, at 8pm at 84 New Settlers street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara. On December 26, 2002 I flew to Guyana from Canada to get married to Neil Wilson. After shopping for food items in the morning of December 27 for our wedding, we were busy running around to make other arrangements for the wedding. At night I noticed 5 persons including Neil Wilson at his back door arguing. A woman (name given) and her mother were arguing with Neil Wilson. I was standing at the front door with a gentlemen talking about why they were arguing at the back door. The woman had an enamel cup in her hand and her mother was cheering her on. Seconds later Neil Wilson came running towards me yelling “Come Abby,” and pulled me inside closing the door shut. As I walked by the window I felt my skin burning me and I started scream loudly, as Neil opened the front door to take me to his vehicle and rush me to the hospital. I was burned to the right side of my face, including the scalp and right eye; and there were burns on the right side of my neck, as well as my back extending from the shoulder to the pelvic region. There were also burns to the anterior chest wall including the right side breast, and the abdominal wall and right upper limbs.
Neil Wilson still went on with the wedding. The next morning he came with a pastor and his uncle to the hospital and they conducted the marriage rites. After I was discharged from the hospital Neil Wilson planned a Botanical Garden ceremony with a couple of friends and family of his. I returned to Canada on January 14, 2003 and was immediately rushed to the Sunnybrook hospital by ambulance as soon as the plane landed.
I paid for a lawyer (name supplied) to represent me, because I heard at that time he was a good lawyer. From my hospital bed I talked to the lawyer regarding the case and told him I was in hospital. I would normally be asked to appear at Providence court for the hearing and I complied. Given the degree of acid burns I couldn’t fly to every hearing because either I would be in surgery or attending rehab in addition to raising two children. Due to this criminal act I was listed as disabled. If for any reason I couldn’t appear I always asked a nurse friend to attend because she lived in Guyana. I noticed that on several occasions I would be asked to appear for the hearing in Guyana and the accused for unknown reasons would fail to appear. I thought she was being tipped off.
I kept up to date on Facebook because the accused would express herself as one who is powerful along with her mother and siblings. But yet the police could not find her for the hearing. Yet the entire bill is being footed by the victim who was flying to Guyana while the offender walked the streets of Guyana a free person. I was even more shocked to learn from Facebook that the accused posted pictures of herself travelling to Baltimore Maryland last year (2015). As I write this letter the accused is presently in the same village of Mocha.
My concern is this lady has no fear for the law and most likely will reoffend. My heart is very heavy thinking about the way I was treated by Guyana’s justice system. For them it was like an insect bite. My life is completely changed forever. Every day I have to live with these scars and answer questions from strangers and it is as though it just happened. To make matters worse there is the discomfort. I had no problem with these people so why should the accused commit such an offence and walk around as if she’s a hero? I also have a young son who always wants to know about my body.
Yours faithfully,
Abiola Clarke-Wilson
