The Police in Region 5, West Coast Berbice are seeking the whereabouts of a man who allegedly set his wife’s house on fire Saturday evening.
The man, identified as Errol Adams of Lot 429, Number 29 village, allegedly set his home on fire following an argument with his wife Marsha Gouviea, a retired headmistress.
According to Gouviea, she was officiating at a function earlier in the day when she was alerted by a waitress that her husband was “interfering” with them.
She looked up and saw that he was inappropriately dressed and dancing in a vulgar manner, much to her embarrassment.
After trying to reason with her husband to no avail, the woman decided to walk home to avoid further embarrassment.
This allegedly angered Adams and he started to hurl insulting remarks at his partner.
Not letting up Adams followed his wife home and started to demand $15,000 which he had given her earlier and threatening to “murder” her if she did not comply.
Gouviea, fearing for her life, picked up a toddler that was staying by their home and left for a friend’s house hoping her husband would calm down; but instead, he jumped over the fence and continued his tirade.
“He came over and start cursing up about the money; I explained to him I didn’t have it on me but will give it to him in the morning but he was going on at a rate and said if I don’t get him the effing money he gonna burn down the house and he left.”
Seven minutes later, Gouviea said she received a call stating her house was on fire and her husband was seen in his boxers heading towards the backlands with a little bag.
The woman estimated her losses to be over $15M as she recently repainted and did some work on the lower flat; the house was fully furnished.
She noted the house was given to her as a gift by her grandmother to live in and upkeep.
She said she had separated from her husband once because of his drinking habit but upon advice from others, she decided to give him a second chance.
“He misbehaves whenever he drinks and I had to call the police on him several times so we were separated and he sold his house unknown to me. When I took him back he came and lived here but the house was always a problem and he wanted it to be in his name but I explained I could not since it was a family house that has been passed on for generations.
“Whenever we get problems and I ask him to leave; he does say he not leaving and if he got to leave he would burn the house down”.
Since her retirement, Miss Mersha, as she is popularly known in the community, has been teaching the children in and around neighbouring communities literacy and other subjects; despite her loss of property, Gouviea is worried about the children that she teaches at her home.
Recently she did some renovations to the lower flat to make it more comfortable for the children so that they can concentrate more. At this point, she does not know what her next move is going to be since she lost everything and is open to any form of assistance.
She can be reached on Tel# 664-3205.
Her daughter who is also a teacher and a first-year University of Guyana student lost everything in the inferno.
