-crying mother testifies

An emotional testimony was given by the mother of the eight-month old toddler, Romain Seth who was burnt to death, after an arsonist torched his Fourth Field, Kaneville, East Bank Demerara home five months ago.

The woman, Holly Seth, testified on Thursday when the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into her son’s murder commenced before City Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The toddler was burnt to death on January 23, 2017 after his Kaneville home was set on fire reportedly by the next door neighbour.  Twenty-year-old ex-soldier and miner, Nigel Dodson, of Fourth Field, Kaneville is indicted for the capital offence. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Vishnu Hunt and has been adjourned until June 20, 2017.

According in reports, on the day in question the blaze started around 02:30 hrs after the neighbour and his friends threw “fire balls” into the house in which the infant and his family were sleeping.

According to information, the neighbour reportedly accused the toddler’s grandmother of ‘snitching’ on him and his gang to the cops, which resulted in lawmen raiding the neighbourhood frequently for guns and drugs.

The baby’s grandmother, Michelle Menezes believes that the fire was indeed as a result of a report she made to the police after finding a gun stashed in a tree in her backyard allegedly by the youth. The suspect along with other villagers used her yard as a short cut to get to another street.

Menezes said that after she reported the matter, the police started raiding the place and eventually she started getting threats from the young man and his gang.

Meanwhile, the Police had issued a wanted bulletin for two other men for questioning in connection with the fire. Keon Ashby and Waynie (only name given), who is also called “Shark”, both of Kaneville, were reportedly part of a gang that set the house on fire by hurling an explosive device through a window.