Relatives unhappy over way case of murdered Guyanese woman proceeding in Barbados

Relatives of a Guyanese woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband in Barbados last year have expressed dismay at the manner in which court proceedings in the case are heading on the island.

According to a relative, the case against Mark Anthony Ifill, who is accused of murdering his Guyanese wife Bibi Farzana Ifill and stuffing her body in a septic tank in August last year appeared to be going in the favour of the Barbadian national as they have been shut out of court hearings and general information on the case.

She said that an aunt who lives on the island has been making attempts to keep updated with the proceedings but the authorities there have made little or no effort at keeping the family informed on the situation.

Bibi Farzana Ifill

This newspaper understands that recently a court session was held in relation to the matter but the woman’s relatives were never informed of the date.

According to a relative, Bibi Ifill’s sister who lives on island had been travelling back on forth around the island as she seeks justice regarding her sister’s death. The relative noted that Ifill’s sister has never been adequately informed of proceedings within the court. She said the family is only made to know what occurred in court via the Barbadian media.

The woman  said that she made several checks with the relevant agencies here in order to have justice served but noted that her efforts have been futile thus far. She said too that the family has been in contact with a senator on the island on the issue but according to her, “much more could be done if there was a consulate there in Barbados”.

According to a report in the Barbados Nation published on February 20, the marriage between Mark Anthony Ifill and his wife had broken down and the man wanted the woman out of the house. But after she refused to move, the Nation stated, Ifill took a baseball bat and repeatedly hit the woman to the head, murdering her and he later placed her body in well after which he sealed the structure.

According to the Nation, the man had confessed to killing the woman between August 15 and 23 last year and reports on the on-going court case said that Mark Anthony Ifill repeatedly asked the woman to leave the home and when she refused, he had the utilities turned off.

According to relatives here, the deceased’s character has been portrayed in a negative light in Barbados but they noted that the woman had been working towards enhancing her health care career as she completed several practical and theoretical courses in this regard.

On August 15 the woman went missing and police were called in and during investigations, Ifill’s husband told the lawmen not to worry, that the woman would go away for two to three weeks at a time. But the lawmen did not take his word for granted and interviewed him again. He was later interrogated and allegedly confessed in a written statement to killing the woman.

The case is expected to continue in court this month but relatives noted that they were unaware of the exact court date.