Appeals to Commissioner, AG and DPP for justice
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – A Reservist of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force whose home was burglarised by armed bandits in the wee hours of Monday, October 6, 2014 is fearful of his life and is crying out for justice.
Guyanese-born Glendon Fordyce, an employee of the Four Seasons Resort, told this publication that he was threatened by one of the four men who had allegedly broke into his home on the day in question and robbed him of a quantity of gold jewellery, cash and a large quantity of alcoholic beverages.
Three of the accused men, Omar Walters, Germaine Wilkerson and Sheriff Williams, all of Cotton Ground, had appeared before Her Worship Jasmine Clarke at the Charlestown Magistrate’s Court on Thursday (Oct. 9) and were denied bail and remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison.
They were however recently released on bail and the fourth accused, who was never charged with the offence, had sent Fordyce a lawyer’s letter but not before allegedly threatening to kill him.
SKNVibes was provided a copy of the letter signed by Attorney-at-Law Sandra D. Hector of Oualie Attorneys, part of which said that her client (name provided) “instructs us that you have made false, disparaging and defamatory comments about him, which directly assert that he was involved in an armed robbery which took place at your premises. Our client is particularly outraged and concerned by these comments, which you have made to various persons in the community and vehemently denies the allegations therein”.
The Attorney demanded that he cease and desist from making such comments about their client or legal action would commence against him forthwith without further notice.
Fordyce however claimed that he did identify the fourth suspect when he had removed a kerchief under which his face was concealed.
He also claimed that during the burglary and armed robbery the suspect had placed a firearm to his head and threatened to kill him if the matter were reported to the police.
Troubled by the alleged statement, the letter sent by the suspect’s Attorney and the recent release of the three men charged for burglarising his home, as well as allegedly being harassed by family members of the four suspects, the Army Reservist had written a letter to Assistant Commissioner Robert Liburd of the Nevis Division of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, which was copied to the Commissioner of Police, the Attorney General, Commander of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The letter, dated December 12, 2014, was hand-delivered to ACP Liburd and informed him of what transpired since the morning of the burglary.
The seemingly incensed Fordyce stated in the letter that shortly after the burglary and armed robbery he had provided the police with information that led to the arrest and charge of Walters, Wilkerson and Williams but the fourth suspect was not charged.
Fordyce told this media house that he waited for 17 days after the incident for the police to arrest the suspect but that was not done. He however proceeded on vacation, but before so doing he visited the Charlestown Police Station and gave them his overseas contact number and informed them of his return date to Nevis.
He also told this media house that on his return he was informed that the suspect was apprehended but he was not around to identify him or to produce a statement that would connect him to the crime.
Fordyce claimed that after being told of what transpired during his absence, he went to the station and gave the police an additional statement to the one given on the morning of the burglary.
The letter to ACP Liburd states: “I returned to the station and gave a further statement. Up to this day (name provided) is still not charged. I visited your station over nine times. I spoke to you by telephone three times to no avail. I can supply you with evidence that one of your Senior Police Officers at Charlestown and (name of suspect) are cousins. I am pleading for justice. I did identify (name of suspect) when he took off his face kerchief to drink my beer. Do I have to break the law to secure my life?”
The letter further states that the suspect “told me if I see how easy he got in my house and that I should not bother with the police and that next time they come back to my house he will kill me.
“I am strongly stating, of which I am processing my Will, that if I lose my life or if anything should happen to me, I am casting blame on you, the Commander Mr. Robert Liburd, and the Royal St. Kitts-Nevis Police Force”.
Fordyce stated in the letter that he was a Corporal in the Guyana Police Force some 24 years ago, is currently a Reservist of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force since February 2000 and “I feel I have been denied justice”.
The Four Seasons employee also stated that he is not certain if Commissioner Walwyn was in receipt of his letter, but on numerous occasions, including Wednesday (Dec. 24), he tried to contact him via telephone and was told that he was unavailable.
According to Fordyce, after securing his home on Sunday night (Oct. 5) he was watching a movie while on his bed and fell asleep sometime after 11:00 p.m., but he forgot to turn off the TV.
“I woke up at about 2:00 a.m., headed to the bathroom and on my return to the bedroom I turned off the TV. However, 30 seconds after returning to my bedroom, three men, who were wearing hoodies with kerchiefs concealing parts of their faces, barged into my bedroom. Two of them were armed with handguns and the third one had a machete while a fourth man stood guard outside the house.
“One of the gunmen said, ‘Freeze’, while the other gunman using the F-word said, Don’t ......move.’ I complied and while one of the thieves pulled a gold ring off my finger, another one relieved me of my gold identification band. They also asked me where the money that I won at Mickey Slack was, and I told them that I had already used it.”
The Army Reservist said that the men tied his hands and feet with a green polythene rope, tore one of his pillow cases and tied his mouth with it.
He however explained that although he feared losing his life, he resorted to his military training and set himself free.
“While they were tying my hands, I created a few inches between the two as taught during my military training. This gave me the desired movement to release my hands. During this time, while they were upturning my mattress, where they found a gold chain that I had hidden under the bed, I used the opportunity to somewhat ease the cloth they had tied over my nose and mouth without none of them taking notice. I was panting for breath, and if I did not free my hands and ease the cloth, I might have suffocated.”
He said that in addition to the ring, chain and identification band, the thieves took US$960 he had in a folder that houses his driver’s licence and credit card.
“These men were not satisfied with what they had taken from me. So they raided my fridge and carted off more than 36 bottles of Heineken, Carib and Stag Beers. They also took a quantity of Guinness, two bottles of wine and a bottle of Champagne. They also consumed two bottles of beers in my house, but they were clever enough not to leave the empties within or in proximity of my home,” Fordyce said.
He explained that the thieves spent approximately one hour in his home, and after freeing his feet on their departure he went to investigate “how they managed to get into my house”.
The victim discovered that they had tried to enter from the back door, but after “picking the two locks they were unable to dislodge the draw bolt I had recently installed”.
“They however gained entry through the front door because I had forgotten to secure it with the draw bolt,” he added.
Fordyce explained that after making the discovery and ensuring that the thieves had left the vicinity, he called out to a neighbour whose relative is a Corporal in the Royal St. Christopher Police Force and she summoned the police at Charlestown Police Station.
Fordyce has indicated to SKNVibes that if nothing is being done about his situation soonest, he and his 11-year-old daughter would take to the street with placards and picket in peaceful protest for justice in front of the Charlestown Police Station.
When asked why he would have his daughter engaged in that activity, Fordyce said: “She is traumatised and has constant nightmares due to three armed bandits entering the house that she shares with her mother and elder brother and robbing them of a quantity of gold jewellery, cash and a cellular phone.”
He explained that the incident occurred in October 2013 and one of the alleged bandits was caught in possession of the cellular phone, but to date police have not apprised the victims of the situation.
