Close to two months after allegedly being burned by her reputed husband, 20-year-old Annalee Gonsalves yesterday succumbed to her third degree burns at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
According to reports, Gonsalves was doused with a hot pot of porridge by 24-year-old Ajay Persaud also known as Nicholas, on August 23rd at their La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home. She died at about 6 yesterday morning.
Commander of Regional Division #3, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Siewnarine confirmed the woman’s death and stated that Persaud who was recently nabbed at Number 71 Village in Berbice was last Thursday charged with attempted murder of the woman and was remanded to prison until October 20.
He had appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court on the West Bank before Magistrate Faith McGusty where the charge was read to him.
However, following the woman’s death, Siewnarine said that after the completion of a post-mortem examination, the charge which was brought against the man will be upgraded to murder.
Gonsalves’ grandmother, Erina Kissoon, yesterday told Stabroek News that she does not believe that her granddaughter was ever doused with porridge but rather, she was directly set on fire.
The woman said that her granddaughter had no clothing when she was taken to the hospital by her in-laws and that she was only wrapped in a sheet.
“If Annalee get burned with porridge… okay let us put it this way, let’s say the porridge boil over and it burn her, then what happened to the clothes that she had on, where is the clothes, where is the mattress that she was lying on when she got burned? … And again they said that the porridge went over her head and when she stretch to turn it that’s how she got burned all over on she back.”
The grandmother said that they were also informed by someone who was there when the incident had happened, that there were burns on the mattress and the girl’s clothing. She said that while lying on the hospital bed, her granddaughter told the family a completely different story compared to what her in-laws have been claiming.
She also stated that Gonsalves’ family was never informed of the incident by Persaud’s family, and that it was one of the neighbours who phoned them within minutes and told them what had occurred.
Kissoon said that while lying on the hospital bed, her granddaughter had requested to record a statement on her (Kissoon’s) phone about the entire incident. In the recording which was heard by Stabroek News, the now deceased woman stated, “This is Annalee Gonsalves and I giving a statement against my husband Ajay Persaud who people does call Nicholas. On the twenty-third of August we had a argument concerning a boxers, he did want go on the road and the boxers that he did want, it didn’t dry it did wet and he start cussing up and throwing down thing in the room and I had nuff work fuh do… I had to look after meh baby, I had to mek dinner, I had to drop meh netting so I get angry and I tek the cologne bottle them with the cream and suh and I start throwing them through the window and in the height ah throwing them through the window I mek he bird cage fall down.”
Gonsalves went on to say “Suh when the bird cage fall down he start cussing up that if he know how much he bird worth that nothing in the room ain’t worth more than he bird and he go look fuh he cutlass but he didn’t find it and then he come back and he open the methylated bottle… I went on the bed with meh one-month baby… she did lay down a lil way part from me and I did sit down… he open the methylated bottle and he start throwing it on me and when he start throwing it on I start stifling and I turn over lay down on meh belly and before I coulda turn run back he spark… I don’t know if is a lighter or match or what but I assume is a lighter and he spark it on me from behind.”
“When he spark the lighter I roll off from the bed cause meh baby went on the bed and I didn’t want she get burn and the fire start ketching and he throw sheet on me but when he throw the sheet the fire didn’t out and he pull me out but before he pull me out the top that I had on it did already burn off and I try pulling off meh pants while I pulling off the pants he holler fuh Ashley one of meh sister-in-law… she run in the room and she scramble the baby and then he guh and he shout fuh he mother from the veranda cause she went at the street head…when she come in now she carry we at the hospital and when she carry we at the hospital she tell me that leh a don’t talk the truth that Nicholas burn me and that I should seh I went boiling porridge and the stove blow up and the porridge burn me.”
The young woman was also heard crying out in pain.
Kissoon is demanding justice for her granddaughter and noted that it must not only come from Persaud himself, but also from his family since their claims are all false. As such, she said she’s urging both Persaud’s mother and sister to come forward and speak the truth so that her family can have peace and live with the contentment that justice was served for her granddaughter.
Along with her family, Gonsalves now leaves to mourn her nineteen-month-old and three-month-old babies.
