Stop encouraging lawlessness

LAY minister Stephen Sohan yesterday gave a severe tongue lashing to the parents of the man who shot dead, during a robbery, Melissa Tricia Emmanuel, and said their inaction was the main force behind her death and the deaths of others.

Emmanuel, 37, was killed in a taxi on Wrightson Road at around 11 pm on March 9, when she resisted a bandit. No arrest has yet been made.

At her funeral before a densely packed Santa Rosa RC Church in Arima yesterday, Sohan said in recent years parents have fallen down on their responsibilities and have encouraged lawlessness among their children which, he says, is the reason behind a spike in murders. Citing the often-used excuse by parents of suspected criminals that their children were “good boys,” Sohan said Melissa was also someone’s child and deserved justice for her murder. “To whoever’s son it is that caused this situation, I want to say that he is on the run and his end will come soon. The person responsible for Melissa’s death is somebody’s son.

“Everybody is a good boy or a good girl, but when the police arrests them they want to burn down the place. It is time for us as parents to stop encouraging lawlessness. The murderer could even be the family member of someone sitting down here, because our families have spread themselves throughout TT.” Sohan added it was time for parents to engage in deeper introspection and urged them to discipline their children for wayward behaviour, as proper guidance could save them from a life of crime.

Melissa’s god sister Nicole Ferreira gave an emotional eulogy in which she recalled her early life and upbringing with the Emmanuel family. She said Melissa would be remembered as a doting mother and loving daughter.