‘I was buffer for rich against criminal poor’

“On July 12, at 1.30 pm, I became another crime statistic,” Duke-Westfield wrote. She recounted pulling into the driveway of her home in West Trinidad when a vehicle also pulled up nearby. Thinking it was someone who had come to her husband, Duke-Westfield said she did not pay close attention.

“By the time I realised what was happening, the young man had already jumped out of the car and was knocking the driver side window with his gun.

‘Get out, get out!’ I saw the gun.

I will never forget the gun. It was silver, looked like new. I hurriedly got out of the car, he pointed the gun at the back of my head and said: ‘Go so, go so!’ “I did as he commanded and headed to the house. In the split second that this happened, Julien (her husband) came to the gallery and was stopped in his tracks by a second gunman who was getting into the passenger seat. I never saw that second gunman until we watched the scene on our cameras later on.

I was shaking. We both hurried into the house and closed the door as I watched the two men speed off with my car, handbag, laptop and other belongings that were in my car,” Duke-Westfield wrote.

She said the bandits got her Coach handbag, iPhone and three favourite pairs of work shoes. She expressed thanks for being unhurt during the ordeal.

“I am thankful to be alive, that they didn’t shove me in the car and drive off, that the second gunman didn’t shoot at Julien as he ran out to the gallery.

I am thankful.

“But I am damn angry that I, like so many of you, are sitting ducks in a society where the ‘have nots’ have better firearms than the police! Yesterday, I felt the Syrian man was right, I was the buffer for the rich against the angry, criminal poor. They can’t get to the Sabgas but they can get to me easily,” Duke-Westfield wrote, alluding to the recent and controversial ‘most powerful in society’ claim by business magnate Mario Sabga-Aboud aired in the Anthony Bordain CNN documentary series, which carried a segment on TT cuisine and life.

Another Syrian Trini who was speaking to Bordain in the documentary, spoke about the middle class being the buffer that protects the ‘haves’ from the criminal ‘have nots’ and expressing concern that this ‘buffer’ was currently shrinking.

After a firestorm of condemnation for the ‘most powerful’ claim, Sabga-Aboud publicly apologised to the nation. Western Division Police along with the Cyber Crime Unit are conducting investigations into the Duke-Westfield robbery.