BEAST IN HUMAN FORM

This was how Imam Ameer Hosein described a man who remains in police custody for the killing of Penal resident Nadia Simms. In saying there can be no forgiving the act, Imam Hosein called for the full brunt of the law to be brought down on the suspect who was the last person Simms was seen with when she left her home last week Saturday to attend a job interview.

“The person who has done this...he is nothing less than a low-down beast in human form! A lion in sheep clothes. A weak man,” Hosein told mourners at the funeral service for Simms held at her home in Rampersad Trace, Rochard Road, Penal.

Even the suspect’s own relatives, in an earlier interview said when he drinks alcohol, he “becomes a monster”. (See Page 17A) On Thursday at about 11 am, hunters discovered Simms’ decomposing body in a shallow grave in the forested area off St Clyne Road in Santa Flora. The gruesome discovery came four days after Simms left home to meet with the suspect who promised to get a job for her. An autopsy performed at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James, proved inconclusive because of the advanced state of decomposition.

Yesterday, mourners flocked to the family’s home to bid a final farewell to Simms, who on Tuesday, would have celebrated her 26th birthday. Imam Hosein did not mince his words in describing the person held for Simms’ murder.

“This evil, vile, despicable animal on two feet who did this crime, deserves the full depth of the justice system which all law-abiding citizens place their hope and trust in.” Hosein is the leader of the Penal Rock Road Mosque.

The religious leader said that, “weak people sweep things under the carpet”, and often in an emotional state of weakness, they make a huge mistake with a sense of remorse that befits forgiveness.

Forgiveness for a wrong, he said, comes when there is sincere repentance from the person who committed the act.

Imam Hosein insisted that the suspect should not be forgiven for this “evil”, as the Holy Q’uran states if a person kills an innocent person, it is as though he/she has taken the lives of all mankind.

“So right now, what I feel in my heart is that this man has taken the lives of all of mankind and no forgiveness can be due to him, because you give him that chance again, he will do it again. “He will do it again and we do not know how many times he has done it already,” Hosein said.

Simms was laid off her job as a waitress two weeks ago, at an establishment where the suspect was a regular customer. CCTV footage in the Penal restaurant showed Simms meeting with the suspect and had lunch last Saturday at 1 pm. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, her body was not shown at the funeral. Instead there was a photo collage of her on top of the sealed coffin.

“I appeal to those in the protective services to try their utmost best. We owe it to Nadia to bring justice and solve this matter...God is the final adjudicator of what happens to us. We ask Allah for justice.” Hosein urged mourners to take all precautions in protecting themselves and their loved ones.

He told mourners to refrain from thinking that Simms made a bad decision. “Nadia was vulnerable, she was taken advantage of. She was murdered when she innocently went looking for a job. This was in no way her fault.

I pray that God Almighty fix this wrong for us,” Hosein said. Following the service, Simms body was taken to the Platanite Cemetery for burial. A 31-year-old Siparia yam vendor remains in police custody.