… “get out” of abusive relationships – victim’s daughter to women
“I’m apologising sincerely to the family, relatives, and friends of the deceased; especially her three children. It breaks my heart to know that the children have to grow up without parents. Your Worship, I am sorry for everything that happened. I’m very sorry for all the drama…”
Wife killer Alex Douglas
Those were the words uttered by 50-year-old Alex Douglas, otherwise known as “Smiley”, as he begged Demerara High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall to have mercy on him.
Douglas had stabbed his reputed wife Allison Bowen nine times, killing the 42-year-old mother of three on October 14, 2012 in the county of Demerara. He was last month arraigned on a murder charge, to which he admitted guilt.
Further, he pleaded guilty to wounding the woman’s sister who went to her rescue, stabbing that woman also.
Stabbed nine times
On the day in question, the couple had a misunderstanding at their Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home, during which Douglas attempted to hit his spouse with a hammer. He, however, butted her, causing her forehead to swell.
Murdered: Allison Bowen
He then left their home, but subsequently returned and attempted to force the woman to eat rat poison. When she refused to do so, he went berserk and stabbed her nine times, including to her back, neck, and heart.
According to reports, the woman’s death marked the end of an eight-year abusive relationship she had shared with Douglas. On numerous occasions, she had reported his violent tendencies to the Police, but he was reportedly never charged.
After stabbing his spouse, Douglas fled the scene, but Police arrested him the following day after he was spotted walking along Camp Street, Georgetown. As the Police ranks approached him, he was seen putting something, suspected to be a poisonous substance, into his mouth. He was nabbed and escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for treatment.
Get out
In a victim impact statement, the dead woman’s daughter Jamaicia Bowen said that on many occasions she and her brother had watched helplessly as Douglas abused their mother. She recalled waking up one time to find him choking her mother in their living room.
An emotional Jamaicia told the court that she desires to see her mother’s killer spend the rest of his life behind bars, and she urged other women to “get out” of abusive relationships.
According to her, growing up without a mother has been hard. The young woman expressed that when her mother died, a part of her also died with her. After her mother’s tragic passing, she said, she became angry and depressed, with suicidal thoughts, and would cry herself to sleep many times.
“If my mother was alive, my life would have been much easier,” she declared.
“Heart bleeds”
Douglas related to a probation officer that his now-dead wife had made him a better person, and he viewed her as “special”. He recalled having a loving relationship with her until she began accusing him of being unfaithful.
Besides his fervent plea to the Judge, Douglas told the probation officer that his “heart bleeds” because his wife did not deserve to die in that manner.
The probation officer reported that Douglas’s mother described him as being kind, hardworking and generous. His children expressed shock at his actions, since he seldom associated with others, and was rarely involved in conflicts, a probation report revealed.
Prison officials said Douglas was a well-behaved inmate, but persons in his neighbourhood related that his violent ways towards his wife created fear in the community.
Devasted
Allison Bowen’s sister, Nicola King, shared that she was attacked and brutally stabbed by her brother-in-law when she tried to save her sister. Ever since her sister’s death, she said, her family has been devastated.
Meanwhile, Douglas’s lawyer Latchmie Rahamat implored the court to temper justice with mercy. Counsel asked the Judge to consider her client’s early guilty plea and his expression of remorse.
But given the prevalence of women being killed by their partners, State Prosecutor Caressa Henry pointed out that Douglas’s action needs to be condemned most strongly. To this end, she urged the court to impose a sentence that would deter others from committing a similar offence.
Premeditated
Justice Morris-Ramlall was, however, not moved by the killer’s plea for mercy. Stating that his expression of remorse was “not genuine”, she described his actions as “premeditated”.
The judge, in recanting the facts, highlighted that Douglas was already armed with a knife when he attacked the woman. The Judge added that this was an offence with a “specific intention”, which resulted in the loss of a mother who was regularly physically and emotionally abused by her partner.
On the murder charge, Justice Morris-Ramlall sentenced Douglas to life imprisonment, ordering that he becomes eligible for parole after 20 years. The convicted killer was also given an eight-year jail term on the wounding charge against his sister-in-law.
The sentences will run concurrently, and he will be credited for time spent in pre-trial custody. (G1)
