The Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to institute a charge of murder against 24-year-old Ajay Persaud over the death of his wife from burns.
Persaud had initially been charged with the attempted murder of 20-year-old Annalee Gonsalves. The mother of two passed away on October 14 after spending two months at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Regional Division #3 Superintendent Mahendra Siewnarine told Stabroek News on Saturday, “We have gotten advice to charge the man with murder, however, the attempted murder charge will be withdrawn at the next court hearing which is (tomorrow) and the new charge of murder will be instituted…he is still on remand as well.”
Persaud was charged on October 13th with attempted murder when he had appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) before Magistrate Faith McGusty and was remanded to prison.
Initially, it was reported that the woman was allegedly doused with a hot pot of porridge by the man at their Parfaite Harmonie home, WBD on August 23rd. However, she later recorded a statement on her grandmother’s phone which told a different story.
In the recording which Stabroek News had previously reported on, Gonsalves said “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.”
“Suh when the bird cage fall down he start cussing up that if I 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.”
She went on to say “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 mother leaves to mourn her 19-month-old and 3-month old babies.
