Woman begs for police help in property dispute

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A Guyanese national is begging Tobago police to protect her from people who allegedly broke into her house, removed her property and broke down parts of the house before allegedly burning all of those items in the yard.

The incident, which allegedly took place on August 30 in Calder Hall Trace, Calder Hall Phase 2, was caught by cellphone cameras.

Samanta Pellew alleges she was awakened by someone claiming to be a bailiff and pushed out of her house, which she shared with her common-law husband for the past 13 years before he died six months ago.

She alleged that a man claiming to be her late common-law husband’s son showed up with the bailiff to take pigs and chickens reared in the backyard and claim the man’s appliances and furniture. He entered the house with female companions, took those items, some belonging to her, destroyed them and burnt them in the backyard.

“Officers from the Scarborough police station were called. They came and only took the report and left,” Pellew claimed.

She thanked her neighbours for intervening to she and her son.

“Is only the goodness of my neighbours that saved me. It still has good people in this world.”

She said the landlord who leased the land to the woman’s dead common-law husband had to intervene.

“I was so shocked that police came, did not stay through the drama and just went,” landlord Alison Browne claimed.

“The poor woman was there bawling, asking the police for help, but they said they could do nothing as there was a bailiff with orders from the court.”

She too is calling on police to do more in property disputes.

“Regardless of the report, I don’t think police should leave a volatile scene like that, where someone could have been killed,” Browne said.

Tobago Today reached out to the man’s son Anthony Callender to hear his side of the story.

“The woman is not my father’s common-law wife. He has three other common-law wives. She was an employee. The agreement she had with my dad as an employee, died with him,” Callender said.

“I served them three eviction notices, the police came and warned them but they are still there. The building belongs to me.”

He said he visited the Scarborough Police Station and made several reports about the situation. He said he also visited the Immigration Office in Scarborough, Tobago.

Tobago Today also reached out to the head of Tobago’s Police Division ACP Vernon Roberts for a comment on the situation.

He said he does not know of the matter. However, he stressed: “In cases like this, the matter has to be taken up in court. All we can do is keep the peace. There are too many unknowns in this situation and that has to be carried to another level.” (CM)