Camillo, Karen and their daughter have been wronged – PM

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves is of the view that in the matter involving model Yugge Farrell, his son Camillo, daughter-in-law Karen and granddaughter have been wronged.

Calling in to the Shake Up programme on WE FM yesterday, the Prime Minister indicated that he had seen some erroneous reporting on the matter of Farrell’s arrest.

“One early report said that the matter took place in Prospect and the lady in question turned up at Karen Duncan-Gonsalves’ office at the Attorney-General’s chambers where she works (which is at Granby Street, Kingstown),” Gonsalves lamented, adding that even basic information seemed to be missing or reported incorrectly.

The Prime Minister’s call to WE FM came one week after Farrell was arrested for causing a breach of the peace and using abusive language, namely using the words “dirty b**ch” to Karen Duncan, the daughter-in-law of the Prime Minister. This incident is alleged to have occurred while the model was in the process of hand delivering a letter, containing the word “blackmail” and which demanded money, to Duncan.

“I understand people are commenting and they don’t have the facts,” said Gonsalves.

The Prime Minister stated that Farrell had turned up at the Attorney-General’s chambers on Thursday, and, “she told the police on duty that she had a letter to deliver to Karen Duncan-Gonsalves, who is senior crown counsel in the Attorney-General’s chambers. Karen came out to get the letter, I’ve been advised, and the young lady started to curse, and deliver a ‘blackmail’ letter.

“…It’s the Attorney-General himself who advised Karen to make a formal complaint to the police and to send the blackmail letter to the police,” he stressed, also saying that it was the Attorney-General who asked the police on duty at the office to take Farrell to the barracks.

“From that sequence of events, clearly, Karen, her seven-year-old daughter nor Camillo (Minister of Finance and son of the Prime Minister), none of them has done anything wrong. On the other hand, they have been wronged.”

On the actual contents of the ‘blackmail’ letter, the Prime Minister stated, “it has a lot of nastiness in it. A set of defamatory, a mountain of lies, and abuse. I mean the stuff’s sickening.”

Speaking about his son, and husband of Karen Duncan, Gonsalves stated that he has been advising him on the matter.

“Let me say this, I have advised Camillo to say nothing, at this stage, to say nothing yet. Sir Louis (Deputy Prime Minister Sir Louis Straker) has advised him similarly.”

Further, he stated, “I said to Camillo what your principal concern here is the safety and the security of your daughter and your wife.”

Finally saying that at this point in time, he only wanted to deliver the ‘basic facts’, the Prime Minister alluded to saying more in the future.

“At the appropriate time I will have things to say, at the appropriate time, but I am very concerned that this young lady should get good treatment to address the concern of mental health.”

He also mentioned that he would like Farrell, to go on with her life including attending university and getting a career.(KR)