The police in ‘C’ Division are currently pursuing a 39-year-old farmer who allegedly attacked and chopped his reputed wife on Sunday while she was in the company of a female rural constable to serve a restraining order on him at Mahaica.
Vashtie Mahase called “Amanda”, 21, a mother of two of Good Hope, East Coast Demerara sustained chops about her body including her head, face, neck and hands.
She was rushed to city hospital where she remained warded up to last evening. Her condition is listed as stable.
The incident occurred around 11am Sunday.
The suspect, Fazil Osman, escaped and is yet to be apprehended.
Reports are that Mahase had been physically abused several times and this was the third time that she had attempted to leave Osman.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, the injured woman’s mother, Zorina Mahase related that
Vashtie came to her house with marks of violence about her body. She said she later learnt that her daughter sustained the wounds after she was beaten by the suspect who didn’t want her to attend a court hearing involving her ex-husband. “I think he did summons her to mind the children them. Suh the court she had to go was fah dah”, Zorina said.
“After she come meh seh she nah guh go back, right. So the following Sunday, we go to Mahaica station and we tell them (police) that we want a police to go with this girl (Vashtie) to collect she clothes. They told me that we have to go to the welfare or get a court order fah get the clothes”, Zorina explained.
She said Vashtie insisted that as they were in the area, they should go to the suspect’s house to retrieve her belongings. “The (suspect’s) mother was at home….she ask she mother-in-law if she can go get she clothes and the lady seh ‘do wah yuh got to do”, Zorina said.
As a result, Vashtie went into the house to get her belongings.
On their way out, Zorina said Vashtie received a phone call from the police who summoned them to the police station.
Upon arrival there, she said she learnt that the suspect had accused them of breaking into his house and stealing a quantity of local and foreign currency.
“Me tell the police right there. Me seh `mam we did not break no lock and we did not thief no money. This man (the suspect) just want to do this because he … too obsessed with this girl (Vashtie), He want control this girl like. She must do what he say’”, Zorina said.
Zorina, Vashtie and other relatives who accompanied Vashtie were released on their own recognizance and were ordered to return to the police station the following day.
On that occasion, Vashtie was placed on $20,000 bail. However, after Zorina explained that she did not have money to bail her daughter, the suspect volunteered to assist. “…..them call in Amanda and them tell she, the man (suspect) seh if she pay back the money, he wouldn’t make any problem. So Amanda seh ‘sir me aint tek no money how me go able fah pay back the money’. Then he seh if she go home back then he go done the case too”, Zorina said.
She related that a decision was not immediately taken for Vashtie to return with the suspect, but after the family could not afford to repay the money they were accused of stealing from his house, she had to return in fear of the consequences. “Then them start to tell we if she don’t pay back the money, she gone get charge and it got big jail….I can’t afford….so we come to a decision and seh we gone settle the story but if not me nah been want she go home back deh”, Zorina said.
“Me so fear for she (Vashtie) life. So the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) rank told us that we got to let her (Vashtie) go home with the man (suspect), dah the Wednesday. Spend Thursday and Friday morning come back and know that they will live together and then he go done the case. So we didn’t had no option fah bring she way back. I had to let her go”, Zorina added.
She said one week after, she went to uplift the bail money but was pushed around. Zorina said she was later told that the money was sent to Eve Leary. When she visited there she was given March 28th to uplift the money. “So the same day we went fah collect the bail money she (Vashtie) was there with me. Suh she tell me ‘mommy yuh seh fah bear up with this bai but I can’t bear. He threaten fah kill me, chop out meh neck. Because she seh she tell he that she think she might be pregnant and nah go keep the baby and maybe that bring another issue in the home”, she further explained.
She said she went to the Mahaica police station to report the threat. “So she (the police) advise me fah take her upstairs, make a report and we go to the welfare, we tell the welfare wah going on”, Zorina said.
The welfare office, she said provided them with two letters; one ordering the arrest of the suspect and the other to go to Vigilance Police Station for a restraining order.
However, Zorina said they were told that no one was around to serve the restraining order. “They say they will serve it Friday (last) and leh she go collect the paper back. They did not say they will carry she because I already warm them I do not want her no way around this man”, the mother said.
She said Vashtie was unwell and could not make it to go on Friday. As such, she was asked to go on Sunday. “…Remember they did not tell her fah serve nothing. Otherwise me would never send me daughter alone. They did not serve it, they carry she fah serve it with a wah they call it RC (Rural Constable) people them, community police or whatever. With a woman without a weapon”, Zorina said.
She said she didn’t not accompany her daughter on Sunday because she did not expect she would have to be present for the restraining order to be served.
“A female RC (Rural Constable) go with she and a family friend…the lady didn’t had no weapon nothing and although she (Vashtie) said she scared, she (the RC) tell she not to be. When them reach at the man (suspect) house now, he ask she fuh he money (bail money). She seh she aint got no money. It was no big argument or so. He just walk in….by time this girl (Vashtie) coulda observe he coming with the cutlass and they tell she fah run, meh baby coulda mek it”, she lamented.
The frustrated mother said she is fearful for her daughter’s life.
