20-year-old mom dies 2 months after husband sets her on fire over bird in cage

Oct 15, 2022 News

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– wanted to save children’s lives before telling truth

Listen to Annalee Gonsalves’ recorded statement.

By Shervin Belgrave

Kaieteur News – A mother of two, Annalee Gonsalves, 20, on Friday succumbed to third degree burns, some two months after her husband, Ajay Persaud, 24, had used methylated spirits to set her on fire over a bird in a cage.

The incident took place on August 23, last, and Gonsalves was left hospitalised but it was initially reported that she was burnt by a hot pot of porridge. Gonsalves’ mother-in-law had rushed her to the hospital and reportedly coerced her into saying that she was accidently burnt with a pot of hot porridge.

The tale was that she was cooking and the pot of porridge exploded on her. However, when Gonsalves’ parents paid her a visit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), she hinted to them that Persaud had burnt her.

They informed police but an investigation was delayed for a month because she had refused to give detectives a statement.

Little did they know that Gonsalves only wanted to save her children’s lives – a one-month-old and an 18-month-old – before telling them the truth about how she got burnt.

Gonsalves would later reveal in a recorded statement, she made while still hospitalised and probably realising that she might not recover from her injuries.

She related too that the reason for her silence on the matter was simply because Persaud had allegedly threatened to kill himself and their two babies, if she ever spoke the truth. Gonsalves’ in-laws had refused to hand over the children to her parents at the time and it was for this reason, the woman claimed, that she wanted to “recover fully” first, rescue her children and then report the matter to police. But this was not meant to be.

On Friday morning, she succumbed to the severe injuries, which she had received allegedly at the hands of her husband. All that remains is a chilling recorded statement she made just days before her death, appealing for her mother to get full custody of her babies if anything happens to her.

Kaieteur News got the opportunity to listen to the statement where she relived the horror she faced and the sacrifice she made to save the life of her one-month-old baby on the afternoon of August 23, last.

Below is a transcript of Gonsalves’ statement.

“This is Annalee Gonsalves and I am giving a statement against ma husband, Ajay Persaud; people does call he Nicholas.

On de 23rd of August, we had an argument concerning a boxers (underwear). He de wan go on de road and de boxers he de want didn’t dry, it de wet and he start cussing and throwing thing and suh in de room. A had nuff wuk fuh do, ah had to look after baby, ah had to cook, ah had to drop meh netting and ah get angry suh ah tek de cologne bottle and de cream and throw dem through de window and while I throwing dem through d window, ah mek he bird cage fall down.

So when he bird cage fall down, he starting cussing up about if me ain’t know how much he bird worth and dat nothing in de room ain’t worth more dan he bird.

He den go downstairs and look fuh he cutlass but he ain’t find it. And den he come back and open de methylated bottle, I went on de bed with ma one-month-old baby, she de lie down a lil part away from me and I de sit down.

He open de methylated bottle and he start throwing it on me and when he start throwing it on me, ah start stifle and ah turn over and lie down on meh belly and before ah turn round back, he spark he lighter…

He spark de lighter on me from behind. When he spark de lighter, ah roll off de bed.

Meh baby went on de bed, ah didn’t want she get burn and de fire start ketching and he throw a sheet on me. And when he throw de sheet, de fire didn’t out and he try to pull me up but he couldn’t pull me up because de top dat ah had on de already burn off.

Ah try pulling off meh pants and while ah pulling off meh pants he holler fuh Ashley, one ah he sister-in-law dat went home, only she de went home with we, she de cooking.

When he shout fuh Ashley, she run in de room and scramble de baby and den he guh and he shout fuh he mother from de veranda because she was at de street head not far from where we living.

When he shout fuh he mother, she come in, when she come in now, she carry we at de hospital. When we reach at de hospital, she tell me dat leh ah don’t talk de truth dat Nicholas bun me, leh ah seh dat ah de boiling porridge and de stove blow up and de porridge bun me.

When we deh at de hospital now, he (Nicholas) get admit at Bess hospital (for minor burns he received to his hands while setting her on fire) and me get transfer to Georgetown (GPHC).

De ambulance bring me (to GPHC) and lil after, he mother come. She did not inform my parents about anything, she tell de doctor dat she is my mother.

De next day (August 24), one of her friends come and visit me, a lady name Subrena. When Subrena come, he (Nicholas) call on aunty Subrena phone fuh talk to me and he tell me dat how if I talk de truth he gon kill heself and kill meh two children dem, dat is why I never give de correct statement wah happen.

Ah de waiting fuh go home and get meh children dem and den talk wah he do to me.

But after de pain start getting overbearing, ah give a statement. And now a feel like giving up because de pain getting more worse and worse. Somebody got to do something about he. Somebody got to do something about he.

And a want ma children dem, when ah go home, ah want ma children dem. Ah want ma mother to get control ova ma children dem.”

Since receiving the statement, Region Three detectives have located the woman’s husband.

He was arrested on October 9 and was charged with attempted murder at the Wales Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. He was remanded to prison but Gonsalves breathed her last on Friday, one day after he was placed behind bars on remand. It is likely that Persaud will now be recharged with murder or manslaughter.

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