By Shervin Belgrave
Kaieteur News – Almost four months after a woman set her lover and his shop on fire for allegedly ending their two-month relationship, the suspect remains on the run.
The victim, 55-year-old, James Moore of Kaneville, Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) survived the ordeal with severe injuries to the upper half of his body.
Moore alleged that at 02:30hrs on May 9, 2023 the woman he shared the shorttime relationship with, doused him with gasoline while he was in bed and then set him on fire.
Luckily his military training helped him extinguish the fire. He rolled himself against a wall to extinguish the flames that engulfed his body. Recognising that Moore extinguished the fire, the woman reportedly attempted to set him alight a second time but he managed to escape.
Moore’s escape did not prevent the woman from destroying his shop that was adjoined to his house. Luckily, a passing police patrol rescued him.
Asked what he believes caused the woman to set him on fire, Moore told Kaieteur News that his decision to end their relationship was the reason.
“I don’t know her so long, the relationship did not even reach two months yet,” Moore said while explaining that he had put her to run a business -a snackette, grocery shop and bar- he had recently set up at his home.
Moore explained that because of his hectic duties as a Chief Security Guard, he was unable to manage the business on his own. But, giving the woman that responsibility, soon proved challenging for Moore who said his former lover “ran down the shop” and could not account for frequent losses.
“So I told her, ‘hear what gon happen’… Ah tell her this, ‘man this thing na gone work, ah think you should go home and leave this business’. And she said that she seh aint going nowhere, and I seh you gon got to go, because you aint running this business good,” Moore recounted.
He said that on Monday, May 8, 2023 (in the evening) when he returned home, the woman was still there. He said upon his arrival, she was serving customers so he did not speak with her. Instead, he retired to bed.
Moore alleges that the woman woke him up and requested that he assist her to lock up the shop. He complied. The former soldier said he returned to bed immediately after securing the shop. At about 02:30h, he said the woman reportedly woke him up again.
“I find she hand in ma pants saying she need sex. So I say that I am not in that kind of mood… I done tell you that u must go home,” Moore alleged.
The woman became angry and stormed outside. She returned to the bedroom with a bucket. Moore said he did not pay any attention to the woman because the bucket she returned with, is what she usually uses to urinate at night.
“She sit down on it like if she peeing but I aint hear no pee,” said Moore while adding that the woman made two steps to the door and then turned around suddenly and doused with him with the liquid that was inside of the bucket.
“I seh girl how u gon throw piss on me but when I get the scent, is then I realize was gasoline,” Moore recalled.
He said he immediately took a pillow, covered his head and bolted for the door but the woman set him ablaze with a lighter and locked him inside.
After extinguishing the flames that overtook his body, Moore reportedly kicked open his door and ran outside of the room but the woman attempted to set him on fire again. On this occasion, Moore ran for his life, scaling a fence and making good his escape. Luckily, he was saved by a passing police patrol unit and was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for treatment. The woman was arrested the same day but was released on $20,000 bail 72 hours after.
Kaieteur News understands that the woman had alleged that Moore started the fire and attempted to burn her but she narrowly escaped.
Meanwhile, police did not take a statement from Moore until after he recovered. According to him, after he was discharged from the hospital, he visited the Diamond Police Station where the matter was officially reported. However, since his report, the police are yet to locate the suspect.
Moore said despite the police stating they are unable to locate the suspect; he has seen her multiple times around the city and has given the police information about her whereabouts.
“I go to the police station and give them those information but they still aint doing nothing,” a frustrated Moore told Kaieteur News while noting that he has gone to the police station eighteen times in relation to matter.
In July, the police visited the crime scene to conduct investigations but have not provided any feedback since. Moore said based on the posture of investigators, it seems they doubt his allegations.
