Son torches mother’s house

Dec 20, 2012 News

There may be no Christmas for a mother of eight. Instead, she is contemplating her next move after her 29-year-old son decided to torch her two-storey, four-bedroom house.
Philomena Bobb-Pilgrim said that her knees buckled when she saw her life’s work going up in flames, knowing that she could do nothing but watch all her worldly possessions disintegrate. She said that the fire was as a result of her “addict son” lighting it because of a misunderstanding which started the night before.

Philomena Bobb-Pilgrim surrounded by some of her kids and grandkids in front of their burnt out home.

Regularly sniffing and using her white handkerchief to wipe away her tears, Pilgrim said that she has no idea what will be her next move and where she would be living.
According to her, it all started Tuesday night when she warned her son about using out her boxes of match. Her 29-year-old son, Rockwell Pilgrim, who works nowhere and contributes nothing to the home, has a regular habit to use things in the house.
The mother said that she was adamant when she told her son that he should look for a job instead of constantly heading to the interior and returning empty-handed.
No argument or confusion was made over the matches, as her son ate his dinner and retired to bed.
Yesterday morning, she said that her son, who is sometimes delusional, woke up talking about “the worms in his belly.”
Philomena Bobb-Pilgrim said that she could not recall her son telling her about worms in his belly and he became upset and started talking about the incident the night before. She said he then started to talk about Obama sending angels to protect him.
Knowing it’s a regular occurrence for her son to say weird things, the mother said she paid no attention but hurried her granddaughter to leave the home.
Pilgrim had not reached far from her security job at Eccles when she said that a neighbour called her cell phone and broke the news. “Right away I stop the bus and jump in another one to go back home. From the road I saw the black smoke. When I see the fire, my knees buckle.”
The mother related that the upstairs of her house was completely gone while the fire was making its way to the bottom flat which was already blackened by the thick smoke. Neighbours tried to out the fire using buckets and other containers but they were unsuccessful.
The fire tender, she said, arrived on the scene, but by then, it was too late. Everything was gone.
Yesterday, the mother, her children and grandchild were going through the rubble to see what could be salvaged.
Bobb-Pilgrim’s son is however being detained at the La Grange Police Station. The mother said her son was arrested while walking over the Demerara Harbour Bridge. The man pulled out a knife in resistance of the police. He was however subdued and taken to the police station.
For about 47 years, Pilgrim said she had been living at Lot 22 Samaroo Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara. Her husband passed away several years ago and she had been struggling ever since, completing the house they had started as a couple and raising the children they parented.
Her son and his girlfriend occupied the bottom flat of the house while she and her granddaughter lived upstairs.
Michelle Pilgrim, one of the eldest daughters, said that the family is shocked and deeply saddened since they never expected that their brother would do such a thing. While small offers are being made to the family, they would accept any assistance handed out.
Ms Pilgrim said that she has been a sickly woman for over 30 years. When she should be preparing for that stage of relaxation in her life, Pilgrim is now worrying about starting all over again.