Police seek legal advice on Linden suspected arson case

…as suspect undergoes medical evaluation

Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Commander, Senior Superintendent Hugh Winter has indicated that legal advice will be sought in relation to suspected arson, which occurred in Linden two Sundays ago.

The suspect, 22, who is reportedly mentally unstable, is the son of the homeowner, 39-year-old Jennel Campbell.
He was taken into Police custody following the incident which destroyed the family’s home at Second Alley Hillfoot, which displaced seven persons. He has since been released and taken for a mental evaluation in Georgetown.
The family’s two-storey concrete home went up in flames at approximately 22:00h on July 5. It was reported that the suspect and family members had a disagreement prior to the fire.
Campbell had told reporters that after her son went out and returned later that evening, she heard him calling out for her and sometime later she heard sparking sounds followed by a loud explosion.
Her mother and other family members were in the house at the time. However, shortly after, she heard the cries of “fire” and upon checking, she observed that the building was in flames.
She managed to escape and sought shelter at a nearby house. The rest of the family also managed to escape the inferno but nothing was saved.
The woman’s son was reportedly seen exiting through a window and was subsequently arrested by Police who responded to the scene.
Following the incident, Campbell, who indicated that she was unsure if her son had anything to do with the incident, had made an appeal for assistance with him as she deemed him mentally unstable.
“Although I do go at the hospital and explain these things, nobody never said well ‘we get a place where they can keep he’. I’m appealing for assistance with him. I won’t press charges against he. I just need help with him”, the woman had related.