By Newsday Reporter
Tuesday, April 17 2007
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
ANITA ANAMUNTHODO, mother of Amy Emily Anamunthodo, the four-year-old girl who was raped and beaten to death last year, was yesterday freed on six charges of wilful neglect and child abandonment. Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington, presiding in the San Fernando First Magistrate’s Court, freed the mother due to the non-appearance of police complainant PC Hamilton (since August 2006) and other prosecution witnesses.
Wellington yesterday discharged Anamunthodo, 19, of Marabella, who had been in custody since she was charged in May last year. She was granted bail but no one went forward to stand the bail of $7,500.
Anamunthodo’s freedom came 11 months after the gruesome death of Amy on May 15, 2006. Amy’s body was found at the Union Road, Marabella home she shared with her mother and stepfather Marlon King. Anamunthodo was charged with child neglect and endangering her daughter’s life on six occasions. King was charged with the girl’s murder. He was committed to stand trial and is due to answer the charge before a judge and jury in the San Fernando High Court.
Yesterday, the case was called by Wellington and Anamunthodo was escorted into court. She stood before the magistrate expressionless. Wellington inquired about the police complainant, but the court police prosecutor Sgt Joey Samaroo, replied that he was absent.
The magistrate, in taking a written record of his non-appearance, said the police complainant had been absent since August 2006. Wellington asked if any prosecution witnesses were present in court and the prosecutor replied that their was none. The magistrate then told Anamunthodo that she was discharged. Anamunthodo was escorted back to the San Fernando Police Station, but as she walked pass her mother, Chanardaye Basdeo, in the court’s corridor, she smiled.
Basdeo followed her daughter to the station. After Anamunthodo signed her release documents and collected her belongings which were stuffed into two bags. She hugged her mother.
Anamunthodo told Newsday she didn’t expect the court to free her.
“I accustom to adjournment everytime. I wasn’t really prepared for this.” Overjoyed by her freedom, Anamunthodo vowed not to have any more children soon.
About her murdered daughter, Anamunthodo said she became haunted in jail by the horrible way in which Amy died. She had praise for her mother. “When everyone else gave up on me, my mother never did. I now want to make my life right with my mother and right with my God. I used to see Amy right through the day and night in prison. I won’t have any more babies now,” Anamunthodo said.
Anamunthodo said she has begun to pick up the pieces. While in jail, she began studying for School Leaving Examination, an exam which she would sit next month.
Anamunthodo, who turns 20 in June, had advice for young people.
“Jail is not a nice place. Think before you act,” she said.
Basdeo, in expressing joy over her daughter’s release, said, “I’m happy for her and she must behave herself now. We’re going to move from where we are living.”
www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,55584.html
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog’s URL for this article:
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?p=219
WOW! Isn’t that a happy ending to this “beautiful” story? So much happiness and joy and unity over her freedom. You see now, if I had the opportunity to remould this entire situation story, Anita and Marlon would have to endure for the rest of their lives the very same pain they put Amy through…the story will end with them being tortured mercilessly each day of their lives…they will be bloody and battered-beaten and bawling and begging for mercy from someone..anyone…they would be whipped each day with a bull-pistle, have their nails pulled out before their eyes with a pliars, branded with a hot iron..have lit cigarettes extinguished in their very open eyes and they must be alive to enjoy all of this “nice fun”. And if they were considered to be not all together I am pretty certain a drill like this will make them 100% sane after.
You see now, when you can GIVE you must also be able to TAKE. But even though this story cannot go the exact way I would want it to go, What Goes around, Comes around…and as Jesus said, Suffer not the little children.
I am really sorry that the UNNECESSARY and SENSELESS death of this little girl could have such an unwarranted twist because Anita is just as guilty of this atrocious act as the rest of the blameworthy .It breaks my heart to see the unfeeling mother of this child walk free with a smile on her face. Anita Anamunthodo…you are nothing but a heartless, wicked, evil murderer. Your crime is no different from your man who “finished off ‘ your child. Your child that YOU carried for nine months and gave birth to…tell me Anita(because I heard you can read now…learned something in jail right?)what exactly did your little girl with her tiny hands and her tiny feet, her little body and her innocent little face, DO TO DESERVE THIS?
Since I seem to be the only person to date leaving comments on this article which I will continue to do, I will personally like to thank Justice Wellington for setting such a wonderful example to this already messed up legal system. Yes, Mr Wellington has not only FAILED the Abused children of this society but he has also created an Avenue for the BLAMEWORTHY to walk away in glee.Here we had a situation of a little girl who progressively had the life beat out of her up until her death.Now we have a system defending Anita who knows she is just as guilty of this horrific crime..
HELLO, if the system is saying she didnt abuse Emily, she SURELY didnt take the STEPS to protect her daughter from the ABUSER did she? Whether that be the man, mother, mother-in-law, grannies, BOYFRIEND, I dont care WHO. She is guilty (and deserves a harsh sentence as her man)
But Defending her for her LACK of neglect is not gonna teach HER or other neglectful mothers, there are consequences for ALL actions.We’ve read the REPORTS unbelievable!
And I would say the same thing to the all the family, friends, relatives and authorities attached to this childs death (O yeah, I feel u were all neglectful too!)If she, Anita is claiming she did not directly abuse the child,Fact is, She knew abuse was coming from SOMEWHERE, and she didnt do ANYTHING to remove Emily from ANYONE to protect her.
Precious Emily’s pain and suffering and death cannot be alleviated now, but perhaps by continuously highlighting her story, sharing it at every opportunity, another child might b spared a life of similar torture and horrible death.Children are dependent on the ppl who r suppose to Love and Protect them.The term ‘child abuse’ is an obstacle to justice. We need to start talking about this violence for what it is, murder. Also maiming, felonious assault, other terms. Child abuse can be anything from emotional cruelty to an axe murder. It’s too broad a term. Maybe that is why prosecutors believe they should plea bargain with these murderers. A child’s life is something they can discount, apparently.
All children show signs with abuse, especially sexual abuse. The fact that so many ppl noticed including Social services, doctors, nurses and what is the system telling me? the mother didn’t????
How can that be???
It’s a sad day when a mother chooses a man over her child.
When is our justice system going to prosecute the mother as well as the murderers of these innocent children?
It’s the mothers that put their children in danger by being with these sick sadistic beasts.
My thoughts are… she,Anita, was the mother and she is responisble for that poor little girl’s abuse, even if she is claiming she did not actually abuse her, she apparently chose her stupid loser of a man over her poor little innocent child and ALLOWED the abuse to go on, come on give me a break, it was VERY evident that Emily was abused, all I can say is Wake up u stupid loser of a woman, tie that womans tubes, she needs not to have anymore kids. Screw the system that is granting no justice for something like this. It just sickens me as it does so many that something like this went on and on and the authorities let that poor child back with a loser of a mother that apparently only cared about her LOSER MAN!!!!! There is absolutley NO excuse for this. I hope she and that LOSER OF A MAN she was with ROT IN HELL, afterall they will have to answer to GOD when the time comes. Its a real shame that some mothers can be so stupid and pick their men over their own children. This case is an example of that, and to let sexual abuse and physcial abuse go on. I feel for that BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL may she rest in peace.
Both the mother and man should receive the death penalty because that is what we need in our laws.They killed an innocent,beautiful child. As a mother, it is your duty and obligation to protect your child. Anita failed her daughter. She could not have NOT known her daughter was being beaten! Despite physical evidence, Emily was clearly demonstrating psychological evidence as well. It was noted by family members and social workers. I cannot believe the lack of urgency displayed by the courts and social workers.This system sucks! It failed Emily and so many other children and it will continue to do so if we do not come together as an interested and concerned society, and get a Law passed in the name of Emily.
God Have Mercy upon this Nation.
Since learning of Emily’s murder she has been continously on my mind. I always ask myself what steps I would have undertaken to eleviate her suffering if I had known about her situation. Would social services have helped me? Would the police have stepped in? Sorry, but I doubt it. However, if I would have stormed the house in which Emily was subjected to the abuse, beaten both utterly worthless “parents” to bloody pulp and taken little Emily with me, after setting the home on fire (with Anita and Marlon inside), I would have been immediately charged with kidnapping and murder. Over and over again this plays in my head. What could I have done, what should I have done, what can I do now to protect the innocent? In any case, I HAVE NO FAITH WHATSOEVER! in this countries justice system, nor in its governemental bodies designed to assist those, who can not fend for themselves yet. I wish I could have made Emily my own and given her a chance to make it in this messed up world. Her story is and possibly will be always with me. Would I have been able to make Anita (an underaged mother with obviously low selfesteem) understand that she must choose the welfare of her child over the relationship with her current man? Would she have pulled herself up by her shoe laces and done the right decisions for het little daughter? Would it have been possible to make Marlon change his rathful ways? Can one stop a sexual sadist and make him/her understand what kind of pain and damage hey inflict committing their selfish acts? Sorry guys, I rather stick with the beating and arson story. I would however, one day have had to explain myself to Emily. What would she have thought of me? Would I have been seen by her as a monster? The same way I classify her so called parents? Who knows…