–leaves 1 dead, several injured

By Rabindra Rooplall
AN UNIDENTIFIED vagrant is dead and several are injured after a vicious attack by pit bulls in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

The dogs reportedly belong to Marceline Basdeo-Small, the owner of the residence at Lot 87 Leonora Parafield, West Cost Demerara (WCD). According to police, the gate to the property was left opened.

Residents say the killed vagrant, believed to be around 65, had been in the area for the past several months and is only known as “Boxer”.

Police were summoned to the scene at 06:10hrs and the body was taken to Ezekiel Funeral Parlour.

Basdeo-Small was a Miss Guyana Universe delegate in 2002. She first came to prominence in 2001, when she and a male acquaintance alleged that they were kidnapped. The incident, according to Marceline took place in front of Tower Hotel, Main Street, Georgetown. It was alleged that the two were taken to an abandon house at Kaieteur Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown.

She is also the wife of Barry Small, who was sentenced with his lover Bibi Gopaul for the murder of Gopaul’s daughter. Small and Gopaul were sentenced to a combined 202 years in jail for the murder.

Justice Navindra Singh sentenced Gopaul to 106 years in jail while Jarvis Barry Small got 96 years for the despicable act.

Reports revealed that the four pit bulls also injured three men and a 13- year-old boy of Parika, East Bank Essequibo.

They were attacked and bitten before the destructive carnivores turned their attention to sheep in the neighbourhood.

Residents claimed that the owner disregarded cries and pleads for help from the victims.

One of the victims was identified as Ramanand Bhikam, 62, of Stewartville Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara (WCD), and another as Wilbert Adams of Cornelia Ida, WCD.

Bhikam told the Guyana Chronicle that around 05:05hrs, he was riding his bicycle on “Cow Dam” and as soon as he turned into another street, the dogs pounced on him.

“When I reach there, the dogs attacked me, I say well what thing is this, I know some dogs does attack and move off, but not them dog this,” he said.
He added: “I had a cutlass on my bicycle, and when the dog attacked me, I start to fire chop and then I see all of them around meh. Meh hall the cutlass and do Whap! Whap! Yo understand, and meh shove me bicycle on one of them, then I do whap! And I chop one by he mouth and he holler and run away along with the others,” the pensioner explained.

Bhikam said he then called out for the owner of the dogs for several minutes but got no answer. Frustrated, he proceeded to the Leonora Police Station where he made a report and visited the Lenora Cottage Hospital where he received treatment.

“Is a lucky thing I had meh cutlass or else they would have damaged me a lot yo know. The police hold onto the owner’s brother and carried him to the station. Is when I went back around there I hear a man died,” the pensioner said.

Adams, who is a GuySuCo employee, was also riding through the area on bicycle around 03:00hrs when the dogs sunk their teeth into both his legs. “They back me into an empty lot and I keep swinging my bike to hit them away and I even pick up a wood and lashing them but they ain’t backing off. One hour after a car passed in the area and the driver who knows me helped me, although I was screaming no one came to help me,” he explained.

He explained that the driver of the vehicle had to rev the engine which resulted in the dogs scampering from the area, which allowed him to escape.

Adams was taken to the GuySuCo dispensary, then to the Leonora Cottage Hospital before he made a report at the Leonora Police Station.

An eyewitness said three police officers and a criminal investigator visited the scene after the owner jumped into her vehicle and drove to her father’s residence. “Ten minutes after the father come with her car and drive it under the house and he catch the dogs and bathe them up and lock them up. So police was waiting on her to come out the house but they would not get to hold her because she is not there,” the eyewitness said.

Several residents told this publication that they had made reports to the Lenora Police Station regarding attacks by the very dogs.