“We give thanks because it could have been worse”
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - NOT only was their dwelling place broken into and a number of items stolen including their car, but the bandit(s) were audacious enough to, having wrecked the car, return it to the couple’s yard before the break of dawn.
Dexter Henry and his wife Cerene had attended a church service last night (July 15) and arrived at their John England Village home just after 11:00 p.m. They parked their vehicle at the side of the house, secured it, proceeded into their home and retired to bed.
At about 5:00 this morning, Dexter awoke and was about to clean another. However, when he went to the outside of his home he discovered that their purple and black 2006 Nissan Almera (PA5733) had not only been moved from where it was originally parked, but it was badly damaged and the keys were still in the ignition.
Dexter alerted his wife of his findings and they proceeded to search the house to find out if anything else was stolen.
“After we saw the car like this, we checked inside the house. We found his video games, my bag (which was in the front room) with my purse, my IDs, money, and also the keys for my car, house, etc, missing. So the car keys were in my bag and if you realise, the car keys are still in the car. The house was not ransacked…it was just as we left it.
“The first thing we did was we called the St. Peters’ Police Station and we reported it. They told us they would be down shortly and when they came they took pictures and so on. They came around 6:00 a.m…but they are supposed to return to look for fingerprints,” Cerene explained to SKNVibes.
The vehicle appeared to have been involved in a collision; for the left side bears a series of long scratches and the front bumper and portions of the hood were damaged. The right headlamp was partly dislodged from its socket with surrounding parts being shattered and or smashed. Additionally, the right front wheel appeared to be twisted.
One of Henrys’ neighbours was able to shed light on the time that the vehicle was returned and, according to Cerene, the neighbour said it was sometime after 4:00 a.m. that she heard a loud screeching noise which caused her to take a peek outside.
She said the vehicle travelled along the St. Peters main road from the direction in which Stapleton Village is located, and swung into John England Project before being parked by the Henrys’ home.
This media house understands that the neighbour bothered not to raise an alarm because she thought that Dexter was operating the vehicle.
Cerene noted that she was “horrified, terrified (and) appalled” at what had happened, but indicated that she is still thankful to God because the situation could have panned out in a far more different and unfortunate way.
“Our bedroom was locked. If it wasn’t locked, it is possible that these individuals might have come into our bedroom. Somebody might have lost their life. I give God thanks because it could have been worse. They could have taken us out. My husband could have even woken up, gone to see what was happening and gone after them. We don’t know if they had guns or anything but it is terrible. Up until now I still can’t catch myself, I just can’t believe…”
The perpetrators gained access to the home through a side door and the Henrys’ have indicated that measures would be taken to better secure their residence.
This is the first time that a situation of this nature has affected the Henrys since moving to that location. Their previous home at Camps, however, had been broken into but never while they were present.
