Children’s Authority interviews Raquel’s daughter

SHARLENE RAMPERSAD

THE Children’s Authority has visited and interviewed the teenage daughter of Raquel Madoo. The child’s maternal grandmother, who has been taking care of her since Saturday, said staff from the authority interviewed the girl over the weekend. Deomattie Madoo is hoping that information from that interview may lead to the arrest of a man who abused her daughter.

Yesterday, Children’s Authority chairman Hanif Benjamin said he could not give any details of the interview or the child’s case, as it is a very sensitive matter. He confirmed that he had given instructions for authority staff to interview the child and assess her case. Raquel Madoo, 33, drank poison at her Felicity home last week Monday and died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex three days later.

In a letter written from her hospital bed, Madoo alleged she had been abused by a male relative for the entirety of their 17-year relationship. She also alleged he had abused her 13-year-old daughter.

She wrote that she drank the poison and begged for assistance to get out of the abusive relationship. The mother of one was cremated on Sunday after a funeral at her mother’s Enterprise home.

The male relative did not attend the service or cremation. He is said to be a member of the protective services. On Saturday Newsday learnt that a senior army officer had been mandated to probe allegations of misconduct against the soldier by Chief of Defence Staff Commodore Hayden Pritchard. Pritchard was said to have received an interim report that showed Madoo did not report any abuse to the Defence Force.

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