An Albouystown woman told a court on Wednesday that she set ablaze and damaged her mother-in-law’s property, because her husband, the woman’s son was abusing her.
The Courtroom of Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul heard that on October 15, 2016, at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, Sasha Nedd, 30, of Barr Street, Albouystown, unlawfully and maliciously damaged, a wooden bed, a toilet bowl set, a television set, a fan and other articles, a total value of $122,000, the property of Yvonne Henry.
Nedd admitted to the court that she had damaged the articles, but only the toilet bowl set belonged to the virtual complainant.
Police Prosecutor David Goodridge told the court that the virtual complainant and the accused are in-laws. He explained that Nedd has a relationship with Henry’s son and they live together. Goodridge said that on the day in question, the accused and her husband had a misunderstanding, during which she was beaten by the man. The fight between the accused and her husband was later parted by the virtual complainant.The prosecutor said that after the fight, the virtual complainant left home and returned later on, to meet smoke emanating from her home and neighbours trying to put out the fire. He said that a report was made to the police, and the accused was contacted by the officers.
According to the prosecutor, Nedd admitted to the police that she had started the fire.
Nedd told the court that she burned the house because the virtual complainant’s son was abusing her, and she had made several reports to the police, and nothing had come out of the matter. The accused explained that she was frustrated and explained that the part of the house she had set ablaze was her and her husband’s section, and not her mother-in-law’s section.
Magistrate Ally-Seepaul told the accused that her actions were dangerous. Not only had she destroyed the items, she had set a building on fire. The magistrate before sentencing the accused, ordered the prosecutor to look into the reports that Nedd had made to the police against her husband.
The magistrate fined the accused $40,000 or an alternative of 12 weeks in prison, for the toilet bowl belonging to the virtual complainant which she had acknowledged damaging. The accused was also ordered to attend counselling sessions.
