Owner of pit bulls released on bail

Police have released Marcelline Basdeo-Small, the owner of three pit bulls which are suspected to have mauled a man to death at Leonora, on station bail.

Bail was granted yesterday, according to Acting Commander of ‘D’ Division, Leslie James.

James yesterday told Stabroek News, Basdeo-Small, who had surrendered at the Leonora Police Station on Friday afternoon was released on $100,000 bail pending further investigations.

On Thursday morning, it was reported that three persons were attacked by pit bulls owned by Basdeo- Small, resulting in the death of a homeless man who is still to be identified and two persons being injured.

The injured persons, Ramanand Bhikam, 62, of Stewartville Housing Scheme and Wilbert Adams, of Cornelia Ida, on the West Coast Demerara, were injured in separate pre-dawn attacks by the animals. They both made a report at the Leonora Police Station and received medical attention from the Leonora Cottage Hospital.

Adams, who is an employee of the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s Uitvlugt Estate, was hours earlier circled by the dogs and had to use a piece of wood he pulled out from a fence nearby to protect himself.

Bhikam, a security guard, had related to this newspaper that he managed to escape with minor injuries after he armed himself with a cutlass and fended off the dogs.

Police had been unable to locate Basdeo–Small after the discovery of a  body with wounds, suspected to have been inflicted by the animals, on Thursday.

According to James, a post-mortem examination is expected today.

Neighbours who had spoken with Stabroek News complained that previous reports to the authorities about the animals had been ignored. As a result they are calling on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigations which would lead to prosecution as they said they are tired of witnessing the reported cases “going down the drain.”