Ajay Persaud who was initially accused of dousing his wife with hot porridge in August was yesterday charged with her murder.
According to a police press release, the charge was read to him before the presiding Magistrate at the Wales court where he was not required to plead. Persaud, who is on remand at the Lusignan Prison, appeared virtually before Magistrate Faith McGusty and was further remanded to prison until the 24th November, 2022.
Gonsalves succumbed to third degree burns at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) in October.
Whilst in hospital, Gonsalves recorded a statement on her mobile phone stating that she was doused with denatured alcohol, commonly called methylated spirits, by her husband who then set her on fire.
In the recording Gonsalves made, and which Stabroek News had previously reported on, she could be heard saying, “This is Annalee Gonsalves and I giving a statement against my husband, Ajay Persaud, who people does call Nicholas. On the 23rd of August we had a argument concerning a boxers, he did want go on the road and the boxers that he did want, it didn’t dry, it did wet and he start cussing up and throwing down thing in the room… and I had nuff work fuh do… I had to look after meh baby, I had to mek dinner, I had to drop meh netting, so I get angry and I tek the cologne bottle them with the cream and suh and I start throwing them through the window, and in the height ah throwing them through the window I mek he bird cage fall down.”
Gonsalves further stated, “Suh when the bird cage fall down he start cussing up that if me know how much he bird worth, that nothing in the room ain’t worth more than he bird. And he go look fuh he cutlass, but he didn’t find it and then he come back and he open the methylated bottle… I went on the bed with meh one-month baby… she did lay down a lil way part from me and I did sit down… he open the methylated bottle and he start throwing it on me, and when he start throwing it on I start stifling and I turn over, lay down on meh belly and before I coulda turn (and) run back, he spark… I don’t know if is a lighter or match or what but I assume is a lighter and he spark it on me from behind.”
