My version of the Esther Rawlins affair

25.MAY.07

I am asking that my version of the ESTHER RAWLINS affair be published to counteract a one sided interview that was given to the girl Esther Rawlins which has severely damaged my character and integrity as a lawyer in this society.{{more}} She is still in Her Majesty’s Prison awaiting about four other burglary charges. Esther is a serial burglar who is wanted in various police stations across St. Vincent. She was sent to the Mental Asylum in two occasions but returned to burglary. Proof of her mental state can be obtained from HM Prisons and from the Mental Asylum at Glen.

A few years ago, Esther’s mother Joanna Rawlins (now deceased) came to my office in Kingstown and asked for financial help. As was my custom, I offered her a few dollars. She returned over and over again and at one time told me that her daughter Esther was at Her Majesty’s Prison in Fort Charlotte on remand and that no lawyer would assist her without fees. I agreed to assist “pro bono” and had her released on bail. I represented her on similar charges in Mesopotamia, Kingstown and the Family Court. I knew her to be a problem girl but when she appeared at my office one day and asked me to be the godfather of her child, I agreed and told her to put my name on the list although I didn’t attend the church service. From then onwards she would appear at my office to ask for help for the child. It continued in this way until she was thrown out of her lodging at midnight because of her behaviour. When this occurred, and it happened regularly, she would call me at any hour of the night, and using the child as an excuse, would ask If I could giver her a lodging for the night. Knowing the girl that I was dealing with, I told her that I couldn’t take her in at my home but that I would carry her elsewhere. She usually opted to go to her sister’s home in Sion Hill.

On one occasion, after a burglary at her mother’s home she was thrown out of the home at around one o’clock that morning. My brother and his daughter were visiting from Canada. Esther mentioned that the child was ill and that I should help her. At first I refused to take her into my home, but on the insistence of my brother and daughter who agreed to have an eye on her, she was brought to the home that morning. They looked after her for the day. She was forced to leave the house. It was then discovered that she was a troubled girl who needed psychiatric help.

Soon after my brother left, there were mysterious thefts from the house. At no time was there a forcible entry. I had two visitors on separate occasions visiting my home and at each time, their wallets were relieved of all cash even though everyone was at home and the doors were locked.

One morning the children found Esther hiding under one of the beds. At that time I was at the airport. She ran away before I returned. I met her in Kingstown and asked what she was doing under one of my beds, she told me that my visitor let her in because she had a “one night stand” with him. The visitor vigorously denied this and maintained that he never saw the girl in his life.

Because of the mysterious thefts from the house, I changed all of the locks and replaced them by dead bolt locks. One day I found the back door forced open and the house burgled. On receiving certain information, I went to her mother’s home where her mother handed over a bunch of keys which she said that she found in Esther’s belongings. One of those keys fitted my front door perfectly. I called the police. She was arrested and charged. This charge is still pending.

At around the same time, my children’s mother found her hiding in a cellar at the back of the house. She told her that she slept upstairs in my bed. She was invited inside but when I was called she conveniently disappeared.

While on bail, she absconded and went to Grenada. This was the Easter period she said that she spent at my home and knew my body parts. She was detained by the Grenadian Police and later forced out of Grenada. This can be confirmed by Grenada and the St. Vincent Police Departments. On her return, the burglary of my house began all over again. Two days before she was arrested, there was a burglary at my home. There was no forcible entry. A new DVD and a child’s school bag with other articles were stolen. Two days afterwards she was surprised by my son in the house during one of her burglaries.

She smashed in my son’s room with a heavy object and completely destroyed that door. My son caught her “red-handed” with his suitcase filled with all sorts of domestic items. She “took off” with the suitcase and when stopped she broke a bottle and challenged the boy. He held on to her and called me. We called the police but before doing so, the workers around came to the rescue and tied her up with “strongman rope”. The police arrived and took her away. In total, she may have burglarized my home between ten and twenty times, but her entry is still a mystery. Her disguises including wig, shoes and clothing were located at the back of the house.

I have lost thousands of dollars of client’s money which mysteriously disappeared from my pocket at nights and among other things, I lost three videos, one DVD, two cameras, a hydraulic truck jack, children’s clothing and foodstuff all taken from the house without any forcible entry.

The thought of having a relationship with Esther as she described is ridiculous. She was in court for burglary almost every week and was wanted by the Calliaqua and the Kingstown Police for various acts of burglary. When she mentioned that she spent last Easter weekend at my home she was already on bail on two burglary charges which occurred on my home sometime in June 2006 and was in custody in Grenada at the time. Those charges are still pending and I am the virtual complainant.

I give full authority for the information to be checked at CID and elsewhere.