Fugitive held in Suriname remanded over wife’s murder

Hubert Pilgrim, who fled to Suriname after allegedly murdering his wife Natalie Loncke, was yesterday remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry after being arraigned on the capital charge.

The allegation against the contractor is that on February 12, at Georgetown, he murdered Loncke.

Hubert Pilgrim

The accused, who gave his address as Lot 2 Hadfield Street, Lodge, was not required to plead to the chare when it was read to him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

In presenting the facts of the case, prosecutor Stephen Telford said that the two shared a visiting relationship. He explained that on the day in question, at about 5:30pm, the accused had visited Loncke’s home, where they got into an argument.

Telford said that during the argument at Loncke’s Norton Street home, Pilgrim became violent and armed himself with an iron bar, with which he hit her to the head.

The prosecutor said that the woman was subsequently rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The court then heard that after the incident, the defendant fled the jurisdiction and went to Suriname, where he was later arrested by police there and subsequently handed over to local police.

The unrepresented Pilgrim was remanded to prison until July 14, for reports and fixtures.

A release from the police said that Pilgrim was arrested by the Suriname authorities on an assault charge.

Loncke, of Lot 9 Norton Street, Wortmanville, succumbed to two stab wounds to her head about fifteen minutes after being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital in an unconscious state.

She was a mother of two and a teacher at the Selman Fraser Nursery School in Albouystown.