The trial of Latoya Angel, accused of attempted murder and wounding with intent, committed on Danny Vanooten, ended yesterday, with a unanimous verdict of not guilty.
She had been accused of dousing Vanooten with hot oil.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges which stated, that on January 8, 2020, in the County of Berbice, she caused grevious bodily harm to Danny Vanooten with intent to murder him. Further, she denied the charge of wounding, so as to cause grevious bodily harm, with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or cause him grevious bodily harm.
Presiding Judge Zamilla Ally- Seepaul, whilst freeing the woman, frowned upon the conduct of the police, after they had received a complaint from the accused.
Attorney-at-law Kevin Morgan, of Legal Aid Services, who acted as Angel’s defence counsel, has since issued a call to victims of Domestic Violence to seek help through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security – Survivors Advocate Department by dialling 914.
The court heard that on Tuesday January 7, 2020, the virtual complainant, went to the accused’s home with some tablets, saying he was unwell. There was a disagreement over where the tablets were placed.
The teenage daughter of the accused, testified that she was in her room, when she heard the couple arguing, and the sound of a slap. Thereafter, the accused started crying. She then went to her mother’s room to check on her and Vanooten told her, ‘I would break up all she bones. You think is so, you does walk in people life, and walk out”.
The following day when the accused’s children had left home, Angel asked Vanooten to leave her home.
This caused the man to become enraged, and according to Angel, he assaulted her. “He ask me if is so people does walk out of people life, before dragging me to the bedroom, kneeled on me and cuffed me about my body. He also hit me with a cutlass which was placed on the TV stand.”
After the alleged assault, Angel went to Reliance Police Station where a report was made, and a medical certificate issued at the New Amsterdam Hospital. Thereafter she was arrested and kept in custody for several days.
Earlier, the prosecution had stated that Vanooten, a fifty-four-year-old clothes vendor of Leopard Street, Georgetown, was feeling unwell, and had gone to the accused’s home to relax.
However, the following morning after caring for his bird and purchasing fish, he returned to bed at about 09.00 hours, when suddenly, he felt hot liquid being poured on him. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the accused standing over him with a ‘karahi’ [deep frying pan].
He was admitted to the New Amsterdam Hospital and then transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he took self-discharge in March 2020.
A medical certificate revealed that Vanooten suffered from first and second degree burns to his face, neck, arms, and torso.
Vanooten claimed he did not know the reason for the attack, except that he had left some money with the accused and she could not give an account for the sum, when asked.
