Court ‘convicted’ little Emily

Court ‘convicted’ little Emily

By CECILY ASSON

PATERNAL grandmother Debra Walker said she wanted to take grand-daughter Emily Annamunthodo but was never given the opportunity by the teenaged mother.

She said not even social workers or police ever came in search of her son, Jason Walker, who fathered Emily four years ago.

Walker, a security guard, told TnT Mirror she felt Emily was as much her responsibility as it was that of the Annamunthodo’s and that was the reason she reached out to them.

“I took it on my own and made arrangements last year with both Emily’s mother and grandmother to come to my home to discuss the matter.

“We wanted her,” she said.

“That day, I waited but they never came.”

The hapless four-year-old child had her life snuffed out at her Marabella home last Monday night.

EMILY’s two cousins felt she was asleep

Innocent to the sting of death,
EMILY’s two cousins felt
she was asleep.

Autopsy reports showed she was raped, buggered and beaten to death after being left in the care of a stepdad.

Teenaged mom, Anita Annamunthodo, was not at home at the time.

Walker, the hurting Cocoyea mother of seven, told Mirror she and her family, which includes the father of the four-year-old girl, always had Emily’s welfare at heart.

It was her son’s only child.

She said it was three years since they laid eyes on Emily and not because they didn’t want to.

“We were forced out of her life,” Walker added.

“At home the family often spoke about Emily and I asked her for the child because of all the negative reports reaching back to us.

“I used to see her always on the road and beg her to give me Emily.”

Walker explained that the teenaged mother often showed more concern for her (Walker) since as a security guard she often worked at nights..

“But I told her my working at nights was not her problem,” she further explained.

“All my children are grown and we were all prepared to look after Emily.”

Walker said it was a sense of relief when she heard that the State had placed Emily in an institution.

Grandmother DEBRA WALKER

Grandmother DEBRA
WALKER outside the
San Fernando
Magistrates’
Court.

“I was happy and I felt that they would have kept her there until she turned 18,” she further told Mirror.

She said she couldn’t visit Emily because the name of the children’s home was never disclosed to her.

She said Jason wanted his daughter to be part of his life.

“But whenever he went there to see the child, it was a problem.”

According to her the lifestyle of the relative made him frustrated.

“The visit would end up in quarrel and fight.

“He always came back home hurt.

“I advised him it was better he didn’t go.”

She recalled Jason having visited his daughter only to realise that the child had been left alone for three days.

“He took her and brought her home to us here in Cocoyea,” she went on.

“That’s when we felt we had to do something; but it’s not all that easy as it seems when you are trying to get control of your son’s child.

“If it was my daughter’s child the access might have been easier.”

According to her, Emily’s maternal relatives felt they wanted the child.

“They never wanted to give her up.”

She said they tried.

“On behalf of my son, our family stretched out a hand to help, but they never accepted.”

She does not blame Emily’s mom Anita for circumstances.

“She is too young.”

Walker, however, is still to come to terms with the talk that little Emily is in a better place.

“It’s hurting me, she didn’t have to die.”

Stepdad MARLON KING on his way to court

Stepdad MARLON KING on his way to court.

Dad JASON WALKER takes a last look at the daughter he did not see for three years

Dad JASON WALKER takes a last look at the
daughter he did not see for three years.

She asked: “My question is why did the State give her back to her mother?”

Reports are that the child was returned to maternal relatives on a court order.

Emily, who was physically and sexually abused all her life, was placed at the children’s home run by the Anglican Mother’s Union.

Mom Anita has since been charged with child neglect and stepfather Marlon charged with murder.

Emily was the great grand-daughter of the late well-known San Fernandian Walter Annamunthodo, who himself was murdered at his home several years ago.

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