Infants fire-bombed - Three dead in fuss over cigarettes

By Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

Johanna

WESTERN BUREAU:

TWO INFANTS, 32-month-old Johanna Allen and her 13-month-old sister Sanatisa Mason, were killed early yesterday morning as they slept, when a group of men fire-bombed their one-room home at Norwood, St. James.

The house was reportedly fire-bombed in an act of reprisal for the killing of a man on Tuesday in which their uncle, Ian "Sean" English was implicated.

Reports are that at about 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Mark "Jimmy" Lawrence, 20, of Bottom Pen in the parish, went to visit his friend, Ian English, a 20-year-old tiler, at his home in neighbouring Norwood. On his arrival, he saw English with a cigarette and requested one.

This was not immediately granted however and he picked up a cigarette from a stall, owned by one of English's friends. An argument developed among the men during which the cigarette was crushed. The stall owner brandished a machete and began chasing Lawrence. English joined in the chase and during the melee, Lawrence pulled a knife, but it fell to the ground. English told relatives that he picked up the knife and stabbed at Lawrence.

Residents told investigators that they saw Law-rence running but he subsequently collapsed near a tank. Upon investigating, they discovered that he had multiple stab wounds all over his body. He was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he died.

In an apparent act of reprisal, an angry mob chased and severely beat and chopped English before handing him over to the police.

He was admitted to hospital under police guard and was later transferred to the Freeport lock-up. Police said then they were seeking another man known only as "Carlos," in connection with Lawrence's death.

But in the early hours of yesterday morning, violence erupted again when a group of five men, went to Andrea Forbes's (English's sister) house at about 1:30 a.m., to avenge Lawrence's death.

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