No justice for Joann Lynch

Dear  Editor,

I wish to bring to the public’s attention that June 4, 2012 will mark six years since young Joann Lynch from Bartica, a mother of one, had her face disfigured by a jealous ex-lover of her then partner who threw acid in her face while she was at home. The perpetrator managed to escape, evade arrest and to leave the jurisdiction and is now purported to be living in Trinidad and Tobago.

From my conversation with Ms Lynch the name of the individual, her current place of residence in Trinidad and all the necessary information to facilitate the young woman’s arrest was presented to the police, and today there is no tangible movement in the direction of solving this case.

This, like many other cases, begs the question of how effective our Interpol and bilateral security relations are. This young woman at her own expense and disregarding her safety went to Trinidad to locate the perpetrator. She contacted the Trinidad authorities who informed her of the protocols necessary for them to effect an arrest, and she communicated this to the local authorities. Today, however, there is little or no action to bring this case to a speedy conclusion.

Even the local actors who aided this perpetrator to gain access to Ms Lynch’s apartment and subsequently assisted in her escape from the community, are yet to be arrested and charged.

I trust now with the passage of time, and given the emergence of new personnel at the divisional and other levels of the Police Force, there will be a renewed interest in this case. This will definitely bring closure for this young woman and her family.

Yours faithfully,
Bevon Currie