‘Smiley’ gets life imprisonment for killing reputed wife 
Alex Douglas (CONVICTED) and Allison Bowen (DECEASED)
Alex Douglas (CONVICTED) and Allison Bowen (DECEASED)

NINE years after 42-year-old Allison Bowen was fatally stabbed with a knife by her husband, who also wounded Bowen’s sister, the accused man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday, with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years for the crimes.

Last month, the accused man, Alex Douglas, also known as ‘Smiley’, was arraigned before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Demerara High Court.

The 50-year-old man pleaded guilty to the capital offence, which stated that on October 14, 2012, he murdered Bowen at Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Douglas also admitted that he wounded Bowen’s sister, Nicole King, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

During his sentencing hearing on Thursday, Douglas’s probation report was read in court by a probation officer.

In his probation report, Douglas said that the now-deceased woman made him a better person and that he viewed her as special.

The accused said his relationship with Bowen was good, adding that he worked assiduously to provide for her and their family.

He further shared that the relationship had many domestic disputes, claiming that the deceased constantly accused him of infidelity when he returned home from Guyana’s hinterland region.

Douglas admitted that he had physically-abused the now-deceased woman during a few arguments.

He said their relationship became worse two years prior to the matter before court.

Douglas attributed their disputes to outside influence on Bowen that resulted in the deterioration of the relationship and her lack of care for him.

The probation officer said that based on the investigation conducted, it was found that Bowen had lodged several complaints of abuse against Douglas at the local police station.

The probation officer told the court that even though the mother and sister of the deceased expressed forgiveness for Douglas, her three children stated that they cannot forgive his horrific action that took the woman they called their “heart”.

“The children of the deceased expressed that the accused knew that the deceased was both their mother and father. In addition, they witnessed his frequent physical assault against their mother. The sons of the accused shared that they tried to stop the accused’s violent attack on their mother on the day in question,” the probation officer said.

Among other things, the probation officer told the court that Douglas’s hidden anger and violent action took the life of his spouse, whom he claimed to have loved deeply, however, he did not express genuine remorse for his heinous actions that deprived three children of their mother.

Bowen’s daughter, Jamacia Bowen, was present during the sentencing hearing and read her victim’s impact statement.

“Growing up without a mother in my life has been one of the hardest parts of life I’ve had to face. After my mother passed away, it’s almost like a part of me died with her. After my mother’s death I cried myself to sleep every night,” she said.

Jamacia explained that she lives by the memories of Douglas brutalising her mother as she and her siblings watched helplessly.

“I hardly spoke to anyone about how I was feeling on the inside and that’s when depression and anxiety began to creep up into my life; Sooner or later came suicidal thoughts. I was so broken and lost in such a dark place that sadness and grieve (sic) took over,” she told the court.

Jamacia urged women who are being abused by partner to get out of their abusive relationship before it’s too late.

State prosecutor, Caressa Henry, in her address to the court, said that offences such as men killing women have become a trend in society and needs to be stopped.

She also asked the Judge to send a strong message to like-minded individuals that such acts cannot be tolerated.

Meanwhile, Douglas’ attorney Latchmie Rahamat asked the court to temper justice with mercy. She also asked the court to take into consideration her client’s plea along with his remorse for his actions.

In sentencing, Justice Morris-Ramlall said she found no mitigating factors in favour of Douglas. She considered factors such as a weapon being used, and the number of times Bowen was stabbed.

In the end, the judge imposed the life sentence on Douglas and ordered that he be eligible for parole after serving 20 years for the murder. For the wounding of the deceased woman’s sister, he was sentenced to eight years which will run concurrently.

She also ordered Douglas to undergo monthly counselling for anger management for the duration of his sentence.

This newspaper was informed that on the day in question, the couple had an argument, during which Douglas held his wife down and attempted to force her to ingest a poisonous substance.

He then armed himself with a knife and stabbed the woman several times about her body, resulting in her death. He also stabbed King during the confrontation when she attempted to intervene. King was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where she was treated.

Douglas, who attempted to take his life, was later arrested by police. He was rushed to the GPHC for treatment.

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