A magistrate yesterday rejected a request that a Williamsville man, accused of attempting to murder his wife and three daughters and setting fire to their home be sent to St Anns Hospital, because he hears his dead mother speaking to him. Concerned that accused Winford Blackie, 60, could abscond because of the lack of security at the hospital, Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington instead remanded him into custody at the prison.
Blackie appeared before Wellington in the San Fernando First Court on nine charges arising out of the December 21 incident at the women’s Riversdale Road, Williamsville home.
Blackie is accused of chopping his wife Bernadette Outram, 60, and daughters Nadisha Blackie, 25, Natalie Blackie, 29 and Nadine Blackie, 26. He was charged with attempting to murder each of the women, maliciously throwing a noxious substance namely gasoline on each of them with intent to do them grievous bodily harm and maliciously setting fire to a dwelling house. The charges were laid by PC Neckcheddy of the Gasparillo Police Station.
Instead of asking for bail, Blackie’s attorney, Annalee Girwar, asked that her client be sent to St Anns Hospital for a psychiatric report. “He hears his mother speaking to him and the instructions from his family is that his mother passed sometime ago.” Prosecutor Cleyon Seedan said three of the victims were still warded at the San Fernando General Hospital and Outram was in a critical condition. If Blackie were to be remanded to St Anns Hospital, Seedan asked that the necessary arrangements be put in place to ensure that he did not abscond and cause further harm to the victims. He said Natalie and Nadine were warded in a stable condition.
Girwar said Blackie had no pending matters in court, but this could not be verified by the prosecutor because the police computerised fingerprint trace machine was not working. Girwar argued that she would be unable to take proper instructions from Blackie and an accused’s right for medical treatment cannot be denied. However, the magistrate countered that the accused’s medical status does not arise at this stage. “The problem with St Ann’s is that people walk out when they want to.”
Suggesting that the police make the necessary security arrangements, Girwar argued, “Azmon Alexander (who was dubbed the country’s most wanted man) was kept in St Anns and he did not run away.” The magistrate replied, “He probably felt safer there.” The magistrate said he may consider sending Blackie to St Ann’s on the next occasion, but he had to get an update on Outram’s condition. Blackie was remanded into custody until January 15.