The small community of Cottage, Mahaicony, on the East Coast of Demerara, awoke early yesterday morning to a shocking sequence of events, which started with the alleged rape of a nine-year-old girl and ended with her assailant, Kenrick Chisholm, hanging himself rather than face the consequences of his actions.Chisholm also attacked the child’s aunt, Norawattie Khedoo, and her reputed husband, Deopaul Manie, with a cutlass, causing them to be hospitalized at the Mahaicony and Georgetown Hospitals respectively.The shocking events, which occurred between 03:30 and 5:00 hours, reportedly stemmed from a night of drinking at Khedoo’s home, where the child was spending a part of her August holidays.Chisholm, 33, a former Presidential Guard turned labourer, is Khedoo’s next door neighbour.There are reports that Chisholm and his neighbours had attended a wedding in the community, but later went to Khedoo’s shack, where they continued drinking.When they became intoxicated, they fell asleep, but apparently Chisholm had other ideas.In the wee hours of the morning, Chisholm awoke his neighbour’s nine-year-old niece and led her past her sleeping guardians before taking her to a nearby house, where he raped her.“He collect me in me aunty house and he carry me at dat house so, and he rape me. He tek off all me clothes. He chop up me aunty and she deh hospital. He chop up me uncle, too. Four o’clock he come collect me,” the nine-year-old told this newspaper.The child was medically examined, and it was confirmed that she had fresh bruises in her vagina.The occupants of the house, on awaking, immediately missed the child and Chisholm, who they assumed were still sleeping.By this time Chisholm had completed his dastardly act, and was returning the child when Khedoo confronted him.Residents told this newspaper that Chisholm, who was armed with a cutlass,Jerseys NFL China, began chopping Khedoo about her body, causing her to collapse on a dam in front of her home.He then asked for Manie, who was awakened by the commotion outside the shack.When Manie pushed his head through a window to see what was happening, he was dealt a chop to his head by Chisholm.The assailant then went to his home, a few feet away, and hanged himself with a polythene rope outside his back door.Neighbours who witnessed the brutal cutlass attack said they did not intervene, since they did not want to confront Chisholm in his rage.It was only after the commotion had died down that they ventured out; and after arranging for the two badly injured persons to be taken to the hospital, they learnt that Chisholm had taken his own life.Khedoo is said to be in a stable condition, while doctors have given Manie a fifty-fifty chance of survival.Neighbours described Chisholm as a child molester and wife beater, who had a history of violence against both women and children.“She (a female villager) got a lil daughter, he used to finger she. Me nephew daughter, he used to finger she,” a male villager told this newspaper.Chisholm’s reputed wife, Dehola Scotland, told of a life of constant physical abuse for the past six years.She said that she moved from the shack she shared with Chisholm last week, after a bitter argument during which he burnt several of her household appliances and threatened to kill her.“About a week now me and he lef because he bun up me meat bird dem, break up things and so, because he deh wid me neighbour,” Scotland told this newspaper.She said that she reported that matter to the police, but it was not too clear if Chisholm was detained.The entire village is hoping that the two victims will survive to take care of the nine-year-old who, up to the time this newspaper left the scene yesterday afternoon, was still in the care of the police.
