With the nation mourning the death of a young teacher at the hands of her abusive ex-partner, Presidential Candidate of the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), Simona Broomes said the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry of Human Services must take accountability.

Broomes said despite glaring signs of self harm and abusive behavior exhibited by the self-confessed killer, not enough was done to safeguard the life of the Linden nursery school teacher, and provide help to the 21-year-old man.

Broomes, who has consistently championed human rights, met with the family of the mother of three, 26-year-old Jenel Pollydore over the weekend.

Crying out for justice, the family complained that the police failed to protect the young woman despite her repeated complaints about the man’s threats even after she obtained a restraining order against him.

In an interview with News Source, Ms. Broomes said all of the signs were there, but were simply ignored.

“I believe that one, since the problem started, before even the restraining order, and she is reaching out to the police, the system should have kicked in, and even see how also, they can help. Because she talked about him throwing gasoline on himself, he was suicidal. They spoke about him taking a hammer and beating himself in his head. So, I believe that when they went to the police in the first place, there must be some system where the social services and the system really kick in to give that type of protection and to prevent the situation from happening,” the ALP Leader said.

Broomes said it is time to move beyond the lengthy speeches, and ensure the systems in place are working effectively to protect victims of abuse.

“After so many women are murdered, then everybody comes out, we condemn this. We condemn it and then what’s next? There is a next one here and a next one there. This is a particular young woman who saw the danger, everybody say, walk away, she walked away, [and] she went to the police. The father said the police made a mockery of the situation, saying, ‘you big and thick I you think this man is going to go away and leave you. And a lot of that happen, so women are not taken serious,” Broomes said.

She said Pollydore not only filed a police complaint, but secured a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Shaka Phillips. She said when that order was breached, the young woman returned to the police, but little was done.  

“I think if the police had taken her seriously, and the system was there to protect and prevent crime against woman, that young lady would have been there with her three children,” the ALP leader said.

In a statement, the Guyana Police Force said that during questioning, Shaka Phillips, who was arrested on Sunday afternoon, told investigators that he shot Pollydore twice outside a wedding reception at a Linden Hotel.

He told investigators that the two got into an argument over her refusal to answer his calls and he whipped out a gun from a bag and shot her once, then chased after her and shot her again as she sought refuge in the compound of the hotel.

According to the police, the man said he left the scene and dumped the gun into the Demerara River.

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