Four mothers who are accused of dousing their rival with acid were denied bail again and further remanded to prison on Friday when they appeared before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Charged are: Jennifer Validen, 28, a mother of three of Albouystown, Georgetown; 28-year-old Alana Holder, a mother of three of North East La Penitence, Georgetown; Gailann Marks, 21, a mother of two of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown; and Latifah DaCosta, a 26-year-old mother of one of Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
They were not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on January 21, at Princes Street, Georgetown, they caused grievous bodily harm to 24-year-old Renesha Maxwell of West Ruimveldt, with intent to commit murder. The quartet was initially charged on January 28 and remanded to prison.
When they appeared in court Friday, their lawyers renewed their application for reasonable bail. The lawyers had previously told the court that their clients are not flight risks and had all surrendered after wanted bulletins were issued for them.
However, the Police prosecutor had opposed them being released on bail. In so doing, he had said that the complainant was hospitalised in a serious condition. The prosecutor also highlighted the serious nature of the offence and the gravity of the charge. These objections were upheld and bail refused by the Magistrate.
Guyana Times had previously reported that Maxwell had taken a taxi from Leopold Street, Georgetown, and as she was travelling in the car, she observed another car following behind. With this realisation, she reportedly told the driver to stop, and as soon as the car stopped, four women exited the trailing car and approached her.
One of them, reportedly Validen, then threw a liquid substance on her, after which she immediately felt a burning sensation about her body and began to scream. She was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was seen, treated, and later admitted with burns to her back and left hand.
The court prosecutor informed the court that at one point the accused persons and Maxwell were all friends but “something went wrong amongst them”. Following the incident, the Police had issued a wanted bulletin for the four mothers who, accompanied by their lawyers, later surrendered at the Ruimveldt Police Station. (G1)
