Possible life sentence for St. Kitts man who battered girlfriend

After offering a guilty plea to a charge of “attempting to choke” charge, St. Kitts native Keith Godwin faces a possible life sentence to Her Majesty Prison on October 7 when he returns to the High Court for sentencing.

Goodwin was initially charged with the attempted murder of his former girlfriend in her Virgin Gorda home on June 19, but prior to the indictable matter being committed to the High Court, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) changed the charge but the penalty remains the same – a maximum of life in prison.

The 45-year-old man, who is a plumber and electrician, is accused of beating the woman about her body with his hands for some three hours and hitting her above the knee with a baseball bat, while shouting repeated threats to kill her.

The ordeal lasted from around 8pm to after 11pm on Sunday, June 19, 2011.

According to the prosecution, during Godwin’s initial court appearance before Senior Magistrate Valerie Stephens, the act was deliberate and all indications suggested that Goodwin attempted to kill his victim. Magistrate Stevens at the time labeled the allegations as “grave and extremely compelling.”

Goodwin who is represented by attorney Ruthilia Maximea, of Maximea and Co. Law Chambers, is also charged with assault, unlawful assault, attempting to choke and destroying property.

It is also understood that on the day in question the virtual complainant (VC) and the defendant got into an argument that stemmed from accusations of her cheating on him. At the time he was living in Virgin Gorda in the VC’s home, where he held her prisoner during the ordeal.

Evil Stalks T & T

Once again we are faced with a dreadful multiple murder in our society, and what makes some of these more frightening is that, once again, this is not apparently gang or drug related, but involved a young mother and two children in the presumed sanctity of their home.

The killing of Vonetta Haynes-Reyes, and her two little boys, Malik and Makasi Reyes, in La Horquetta on Thursday seems to have no discernable motive.

We have grown sadly accustomed to a range of alleged “motives” for the murders of our women and their children.

And while we try to come to terms with these killings in the east, we also have to face up to the dread of two connected, but separate suicides in south. One of them, Rehana Nandlal was a mere child of 15, who ran away from home on Monday, and was found frothing at the mouth on the steps of a church on Tuesday. She had drunk poison, and died shortly thereafter. In her diary, Rehana had described her “love affair” with a Health and Safety Officer at her school, a married man of 52. The following day, the man, Hydar Mohammed, also drank poison and died.

It is difficult to determine which is the more tragic story gripping our now battered society. How often in this year alone have we risen up in fear, anger, and horror at the violence being perpetrated upon our women and our young children? And make no mistake about it, however little Rehana might have thought that she was in love and in a loving relationship, she was an ongoing victim of rape by an older man, who appeared to have no plans to leave his wife for this child he was abusing.

As a society we need to address two questions, even as we wonder if these
can be answered.

The first is, given the number of women murdered this year, some even burned to death by their partners, how many of our women (and indeed their children) are now living among us and facing the possibility of being murdered?

And how many of our girl children are now living in similar sexual relationships as Rehana was, with older men? And we are not considering 17 to 21-year-old boys as “older men” here. We are talking about “full men” old enough to be the fathers (and sometimes they are!) of the girls whom they are abusing.

Given the frequency of the crimes against women and children, and the ongoing disappearances of young girls — some of whom are never seen alive again, although some seem to run away from what they perceive to be overly strict parents—we are facing a frightening prospect indeed.

We all need to be aware that the next victim of violence, or of ongoing sexual abuse could be our relative or neighbour, and that among the groups of schoolgirls wending their way between school and home, could be in some sexual relationships similar to Rehana’s. These are the potential next victims of murder and suicide.

But what can we do about it? These crimes are less “preventable” by the police than are the gang killings. Police sleuthing cannot unearth the type of evils which may have caused the deaths of the Reyes family, or stopped poor little Rehana drinking poison on her own terrifying and lonely last day. It is up to us, the society rather than the police, who must carry the burden of eliminating these horrors from our lives.

compliments Newsday

Girl, 9, sees Mother murdered after stalking

Killed As She Slept

Isha Hosein

Hours after enjoying Mother's Day with her two children and other relatives, Isha Hosein, 40, was dead - beaten and stabbed as she lay on a bed sleeping next to her nine-year old daughter Shenelle, at their South Oropouche home, yesterday morning.

Hosein's murder rocked the sleepy rural community of Naranjit Trace in south Oropouche, the second tragedy to affet a family after the fatal firebomb attack in Barataria last Sunday, in which a family of five, including two children, were killed.

Shenelle was said to be in a traumatised state after being awakened by the sound of a man stabbing and beating her mother.

While crime scene officers, in white forensic grab, walked in and out of the house yesterday as they searched for clues, Hosein's shocked relatives and neighbours stood nearby and looked on.

The murdered woman's relatives said Shenelle was too distraught to speak. Relatives said Hosein was a hunted woman after ending a 14-year relationship.

Her brother-in-law Deochan Naranjit said the frightened woman had been staying at his home for the past two months with her two children, Shenelle and Janelle, 12. He said Hosein and her daughters spent Mother's Day at the home of Hosein's 65-year-old mother, Doris Samaroo, which is also located at Naranjit Trace. Jamelle ended up spending the night at Doris' home.

At about 5:40 am Monday Deochan and his wife left Hosein and Shenelle asleep in the house and went to tend to a garden located nearby.

"About 20 minutes later, screams were heard and another relative came running over to tell us that Isha (Hosein) was murdered," Deochan said.

Isha's brother Ashram Samaroo, who lives next door to Deochan, said his wife heard Shenelle's screams for help and ran toward the house to see what was going on.

"Come and see, come and see ... my mummy dead and lying on the floor, " Shenelle tolad Ashram's shocked wife. At this time, Doris arrived and went into Deochan's house only to be confronted by a man holding a blood-stained knife. Deochan told Newsday that the man told Doris, "like you want to die too !" He then jumped through the bedroom window and escaped in some bushes nearby.

A report was made to the Oropouche Police Station and officers promptly arrived and carried out a search for the killer who up to press timeremained at large. However, relatives had harsh words for the Oropouche police saying that no less than 25 reports were made about the abuse Hosein suffered.

"She had obtained several restraining orders from the courts. But this was not sufficient and in the end she was hunted down and killed, " Hosein's sister Anita said.

Anita said a man had earlier called her mobile phone saying he intended to, "wipe out myself, my husband and my brother."

She also claimed the man had been hiding nearby, "waiting for the opportunity to attack us."

Hosein's body was removed from the crime scene to the Forensic Science Centre in St. James .