Girl abducted, brutalised by boyfriend

Dec 03, 2025 News

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– suspect attempts suicide, remains on the run

By Shermon Hawker

(Kaieteur News) – An evening drive which began with hints of romance between a couple quickly took a nightmarish detour for a young woman of Limlair Village, Corentyne, Berbice, who, having anticipated a cool unwinding, was instead treated to black-eyes, dragged by her hair, and confined against her will for two days with threats made on her life, all by the hands of her own boyfriend.

One evening back in late October, Jumella Seline received a call from her boyfriend Leon Jeffrey, who informed her that he was outside her home, and wanted them to take a casual drive. Notwithstanding the late hours, the unsuspecting 19-year-old readied herself, updated her mother, and boarded the vehicle out front which had an arranged driver.

“The afternoon he come. He does normally bring money or drop it. He dropped $10,000 and said he’s going at the bank and come back. I said alright and then I come inside back with my cousin,” Jumella told Kaieteur News in an exclusive interview.

Keeping his word, 27-year-old Jeffrey returned just after 10pm. He entered her room and told her to get dressed to go out. Initially, the young woman objected because of the time, but eventually gave in to Jeffrey’s promptings. With a few pieces of clothing stuffed into a small bag, and her mother being informed, the couple entered the car. Shortly after, the ordeal took form while at his friend’s place at No. 51 Village, Corentyne.

“Me and he had wrong for something and I got vex, and he come and he slap me,” she said, as she recounted the ordeal.

She said that was the first time he was physical with her in their one-year relationship. She relayed that she returned the slap twice, enforcing that she would not accept such treatment. This only served to fuel Jeffrey, who she said furiously scanned the area, and found a piece of wood with which he tackled her.

“I started running down the road and he start running behind me. He run me with the stick and then a man come out and ask ‘wuh yuh running duh girl fuh?’ and he was like ‘nah man, is a lil misunderstanding and we going home’. Then he friend come out with the car.”

She reasoned with him that as his friend was coming with the car, he could take her home. This was agreed to, and they returned to the vehicle, in which he took her phone. Jeffrey then instructed his friend to go instead to his brother’s house at No. 48 Village. According to her, her boyfriend promised that they will only dialogue and she will return home in the new day. She was against this, and her refusal to exit the car when they arrived was responded to with several cuffs to her mouth and her being dragged out of the car. As she attempted to escape, he caught up to her, and reportedly bit her on her mouth. The friend was ordered to leave, while they entered his brother’s premises, occupying one of the two properties.

While there, Jeffrey allegedly approached her with a knife and a broken bottle, declaring that he will end her life and his subsequently. In fear, she tried calling her mother and her aunt but did not immediately succeed. Her aunt who shortly after made contact with her, urged her to run out of the yard.

“I didn’t get to go far because I was running and talking (on the phone) at the same time and I get short breath. He catch up with me, he cut off the phone, he dragged me by my hair… he keep cuffing me in my back, in my eye, and then he go to stab me and I blocked.”

He led her to an abandoned house nearby. Asked why she was being subjected to the continual assault, she disclosed that he told her he had heard that she had aborted the pregnancy of his child. She denied same, and fabricated on the spot that she was actually carrying his child, with the hope that this would quell his rage.

Somewhat softened, the man allowed her to sleep. The next day, she updated her mother that she was ok, and pleaded with her boyfriend-turned-abductor for her to return home, which he flatly refused, followed by another season of threats. His friend would be apprehended by police, which was confirmed after Jumella, per Jeffrey’s instructions, called him to pick them up later that evening. A police officer had answered the phone. When questioned on their whereabouts, Jeffrey told the police they were fishing at No.51, and told the officers to allow him a next 20 minutes to wrap up, then set the phone to airplane mode.

After they returned to his brother’s place, she managed to send her location to her aunt; The family had spent the evening in search of her, and they came to retrieve her the following day.

“Mommy said she’s on the way coming…as soon as I reach in the car, I told mommy to lock all the doors and let us go, and then he run and come in front, and after he see us drive away, he walk and go inside back, and that was the last time I see he,” she said.

The man would then reportedly consume a poisonous substance, for which he was hospitalised. He somehow survived the suicide attempt, and managed to escape. He remains at large.

Jumella is the eldest sister of Jodea Seline, who died nearly two weeks ago in a horrific road accident.

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• abducted, boyfriend, brutalised, Jumella Seline, Limlair Village

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