BASSETERRE, St. Kitts- THE unfortunate death of Unique Browne has left many unanswered questions, and among them are: What could have been done to prevent it? Who would want to kill a 15-year-old girl? Who would commit such a crime? And what can be done to prevent a recurrence?
With those questions in mind, SKNVibes spoke with a number of persons who knew Unique, including her parents, a friend who wishes to remain anonymous and someone who shared the house in which she lived at the time of her death.
According to reports, the lifeless body of a partly nude female teenager was discovered shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 3, lying on the eastern side of the building that houses Eustace Hobson & Associates in the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Site area.
The body was later identified as that of Unique Browne of Wellington Road, Basseterre.
George Elliott of Wellington Road said he had known Unique since 2009 and that she first lived at his home in early 2010 and again in late February 2011.
“I used to see her up and down in Newtown with some wild girls, and it looked like she used to get mistreated a lot,” he said.
Elliott strongly felt that Unique needed love; the kind of love that only a parent could give to a child.
“I think she needed love…love from her parents. She needed someone to guide her,” he said
Elliott was unsure of the type of the relationship Unique had with her mother, noting that he never saw her visit Unique while she was residing at his home. He however said that they did speak on the phone.
Elliott said he knew of Unique’s father was living overseas and that he financially supported her on a regular basis.
According to reports, Unique had given a female some money to buy her two items from a store, but the person neither purchased them nor returned the money.
Elliott said he was aware of the situation and that the money was returned after Unique had reported the matter to the police.
He also said that Unique had left his home earlier in the week for Nevis but had returned on Saturday, April 2. However, around midnight, she had left his home with a friend who also lived there, and that was the last time he saw her alive.
“Someone called looking for her on Sunday, and when I went to look for her in the house I realised she was not there,” he said.
Elliott said on many occasions Unique would sleep by friends and later return to his home; therefore, he was not alarmed at her absence on that day.
It was also reported that Unique had attended Mention’s ‘Earthday Bash’ at Club Kactus, and although it was rumored that she was walking alone after leaving the party, Elliott believes otherwise.
“As much as she might be a ‘tough girl’, Unique will not walk that area by herself,” he said, adding, “Unique never go anywhere in the night where you would find that there are no people around or if it is dark…it has to be a lighted area.”
The friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they had seen her on April 2 at around 7:00 p.m. just before they went to the party.
The friend also said that they did not see her at the party but knew she had planned to go there.
The person said Unique was not the type of person to interfere with people and that she would have never walked alone in that area.
From the information gleaned, it appeared as though Unique was left to care for herself although she was three years shy from adulthood.
Dalia Hanley, Unique’s mother. said that her daughter was a “party girl”.
“I know Unique wasn’t a bad child, I know Unique to be a loving child and she just chose to be a party girl. She chose to live how she lived. Unique is a party child and I couldn’t stop Unique from partying. The only thing I can do is talk to her and tell her…‘just know the road’. The road is a rugged road and you got to know what you doing. What was I supposed to do?” the mother said.
Hanley said despite what rumors might circulate about her relationship with Unique, she did love her daughter and kept in touch with her.
“I love all my children. I have six children and I wasn’t looking for the death of my 15-year-old daughter. She’s the fourth child. People are saying all sorts of things but who knows me will tell you about me when it comes to my children. I ain’t a slandering mother, I protect my children to the best of my ability, and if I could have protected Unique that night I would have protected her. But as I said, God knows what He is doing. Maybe He took her out of my way to get a breakthrough. Maybe it’s for me to stand more positive. I know what I mean and God knows what I mean,” she said.
She continued: “When I go church, I suppose to put a chain on her? I have two others to take care of. As much as I was a ‘wagoon’ out there, I always tell my children don’t follow in my footsteps. My footstep wasn’t an easy footstep. I wasn’t raised with a mother…I was raised by my grandmother. I didn’t have a mother’s loving and I didn’t have a father’s loving. If I had my last two hundred dollars, I split it for my children and I eat whatever I could eat after.”
The mother said that she has some regrets concerning her daughter but preferred to keep them private.
“Me ain’t gon tell you that. God gonna work in a mysterious way. I know what I’m dealing with,” she said.
Venroll Browne of Tortola is the man Unique had known as her father.
During an interview with the Browne, a businessman, he said that he received the news of Unique’s death around 4:00 p.m. on April 3 and was shocked by the news, describing it as “real rough”.
Browne told SKNVibes that Unique grew up in St. Kitts with her mother, but after attaining a certain age went to live with him in Tortola. However, she returned to St. Kitts at age 11. He added that she subsequently returned to live with him but only remained there for two years and sent back to St. Kitts.
Browne said that Unique was a good child but was the type that wanted to be “up and down”, and that behaviour led him to conclude it was best for her to be living with her mother.
Browne also said that at that time in Tortola, he believed Unique’s mother should have been playing a role in her daughter’s life. He opined that the antisocial behaviour she displayed while living with him could have been as a result of her need for a mother’s love, and that was the main reason for him sending her back to St. Kitts.
Browne said that he spoke to someone at the Probation and Child Protection Services within the Department of Social Development in St. Kitts, informing them that he was sending Unique back to her mother.
Browne said that on Unique’s arrival in St. Kitts, she told him that she was residing at the home of some cousins, and that he was unaware of her attendance at parties.
Browne also said that he has regrets concerning Unique but, like her mother, he would keep them private.
Browne said that he feels the Probation and Child Protection Services has failed Unique and that they should have looked into the situation between she and her mother.
Browne said that the last time when he sent Unique to St. Kitts at age 13, he had found out that she was not his child. He said that he had informed the Probation and Child Protection Services of the reality, and noted that “proof lies in a DNA testing”.
He however said that although he found out Unique was not his daughter he still supported her financially and often kept in contact with her.
Browne said “up to last week” he sent money for her via Money Gram. He explained that monies would be normally sent in the friend’s name because Unique was not an adult.
He told SKNVibes that Unique would be buried in Tortola on Saturday, April 16.
According to a source from Probation and Child Protection Services, neglect of a child is when a parent is not handling their responsibilities for the child - not feeding them, clothing them and keeping them sheltered and maintaining good health.
The source explained that the role of a Child Care Officer includes investigations, and once the matter is reported they would decide whether to issue a warning, have the child removed from its home or take legal action.
Speaking with another source at the Probation and Child Protection Services, they claimed that the Services was aware of Unique’s situation and that they had spoken to the mother and daughter on a number of occasions.
The source said that Unique’s mother had expressed that she could not handle her daughter and that the father had revealed to them that he had done a DNA test which proved she was not his child.
The source said there is need for more Child Care workers in the Federation and that a facility is needed to house troubled teens.
“Unique would have been the perfect candidate for a rehabilitation center for teens, which is currently nowhere near completion. It is the former Harris’ Home, and I feel strongly that the entire nation has failed that child,” the source said.
When asked if children seen on the road during school hours are questioned by the officers, the source said they have done so in the past but truancy is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.
SKNVibes first came into contact with Unique after her boyfriend had died last December as a result of an altercation with a police officer. She gave this media house an exclusive interview but did not state her age.
Unique Browne’s death has raised many questions and it is hoped that the authorities view the circumstances of her demise as one that needs closer attention by the Probation and Child Protection Services, as well as laws to be enforced in relation to minors at night clubs and bars.
The authorities should sensitise the public on steps to be taken when a parent/guardian is unable to control a child and what should be done if a child is neglected by its parent. And as being asked by many people…“When will a juvenile facility for delinquent teens be constructed?”
