Roadblock saves woman from abusive spouse

Mar 27, 2009 News

The blade that was found in the suspect’s car.

“When I saw you guys, I thought that there was some road construction. But then I saw it was the police I grabbed the blade and screamed.”
Police at a roadblock set up at La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara, on Wednesday night, rescued a woman from a car when she raised an alarm.

The drama unfolded at about 21:00 hours.
The woman who is employed at the Georgetown Post Office Corporation managed to alert the ranks at the roadblock by shouting and waving a large sword through the front passenger window.
The ranks were forced to train their weapons on the vehicle as the suspect who was driving attempted to elude the roadblock.
But in a shocking twist of events, the 44-year-old victim, who had reported several cases of domestic abuse during a three-year relationship with the suspect, yesterday indicated to the police that she did not wish to press charges.

She will, however, have to tell that to the court since the police are pressing ahead with charges.
She told this newspaper that she and the suspect, who is two years younger, share a common law relationship.
During that period she suffered cuts and bruises from blows directed at her by her common law spouse over a period of time, making accusations that she was having ‘outside affairs’.
On Wednesday night, the mother of one was at home in Campbellville when her lover picked her up to take her to the market.

She said that while she was at the market, the man accused her of being ‘friendly with a male vendor’.
He even accosted the vendor but did not resort to violence; instead, he took out his rage on the woman.
She was forced into the suspect’s car and driven along the East Coast Demerara Highway despite her protestation that she wanted to go home.
She told this newspaper that the angry suspect threatened to take her to a house he rents at Melanie Damishana and ‘finish her off’. The woman described the ensuing journey as a terrifying period of her life.
“He kept saying that he was going to kill me; I really think that he was going to do it. I just saw my life flashing past before my eyes,” the mother of one told this newspaper.

Police arrest the suspect at the roadblock on Wednesday night.

She desperately kept her eyes out for any assistance she could get.
Then a lifeline was extended when she saw the reflection of a police reflector jacket.
Realizing that this would have been her only opportunity to free herself, the woman grabbed a sword that was between her and the suspect and frantically waved it to alert the police.
“When I saw you guys, I thought that there was some road construction. But then I saw it was the police. I grabbed the blade and screamed.”

But the man had driven past the first set of ranks who hurriedly alerted their colleagues at the other end of the roadblock. Good sense prevailed as the suspect, sensing that the police guns were trained on his car, decided to pull over, allowing the woman to exit the vehicle in haste.
She quickly told police what she was going through and they placed the suspect, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, under arrest.

“I was begging all the time. I am so fortunate that you guys were on the road,” the woman said.
The man was taken to the Beterverwagting Police Station and booked.
However, he further committed himself when to the shock of everyone present at the station, including a female Lance Corporal, he dropped his pants and underwear.

Thankfully the ranks acted in a professional manner and calmly placed the man into the lock-ups, despite him begging the woman to say something favourable on his behalf.
The woman refused and assured the police that she was finished with the relationship.
Surprisingly, while giving her statement yesterday morning, the woman told police ranks that she did not want to pursue the matter.

Her pleadings did not go down well with the police and she was made to indicate that in her statement.
The police, however, will still file charges of threatening language, disorderly behaviour and indecent exposure against the suspect who remained in custody yesterday and is expected to appear in court today.