Wayne Hernandez, a 31-year-old fisherman of Airy Hall, Mahaicony, Region Five (Mahaica Berbice) is currently nursing severe burnt injuries after a man from the community threw firecrackers in his pants on New Year’s Day.
According to the man’s brother-in-law Nazimul Nizam, his brother-in-law had left his home around 12:00h on New Year’s morning and went to a bar in the community to purchase a pack of cigarettes when a man confronted him and asked him to purchase him a bottle of Guinness to which he refused.
“He didn’t have no money to purchase Guinness so he told the man he doesn’t have any. He come out of the bar and people were outside lighting scribb and so and he was watching on. The man [who asked him to purchase the Guinness] and two others take two lighted firecrackers and through it in he pants pocket and on his leg”.
“The one he put in his pocket, it burn up all his private parts and all over, the other one burn up his leg,” the man explained.
Hernandez was rushed to Mahaicony Hospital to receive treatment. Nazim said at the hospital, his sister [ Hernandez’s wife], went to the Mahaicony Police Station to make a report and was allegedly put out of the police station.
“The hospital sent her to the station to make a report, they took a statement and that was it. They never did anything about it. When my sister went back, they harass her and put her out of the police station.”
“The person that was dealing with her was a female police officer that is a family member of the boy that burned the man. Mahaicony Police station has a reputation, they always doing this to people,” he said.
Nazim said it is now more than eight days, and the suspects are roaming the community while the police are doing nothing about the situation.
“That suspect passes the Mahaicony police station every day going in the creek to shy fertilizer and he can’t be arrested and charged for his wrongdoing. Not because this man is an Amerindian he should be left to suffer in pain and the suspect/s walk free. Every time Amerindian people go to the Mahaicony station to make a report, they never listen to them.”
Nazim said his brother-in-law is unable to walk or provide for his family. He said the man’s family is poor, and cannot afford to take him to the hospital to have his wounds dressed. As such, he is pleading with those in higher authorities to look into this issue so that his sister and her husband can get justice.
