Wife-killer gets 15 years

AZARD ALI

LEVI DOLLOWAY, 37, of Fyzabad was found guilty by a jury on a charge of manslaughter in the 2008 death of his wife who was doused with a flammable substance and set alight. For this act, Dolloway was jailed yesterday for 15 years.

Dolloway also called “Roger”, was on trial in the San Fernando High Court for murder before Justice Hayden St Clair Douglas. In November, the jury found him guilty on the lesser count of manslaughter in the death of Arlene Fraser-Dolloway, 26, on June 7, 2008.

The State led evidence from witnesses that Dolloway, his wife and his brother were drinking in a bar that fateful night but upon arriving home, an argument broke out. She had started to cook roti and patchoi in the kitchen. State Attorney Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal said that Dolloway went downstairs, fetched a bottle with gasoline and threw it on his wife. She was burnt in the upper chest, arms, feet and most of her back.

The victim later spoke to her sister-in-law and in a declaration before she died, gave an account of what had transpired. Fraser-Dolloway died on June 17, 2008 at San Fernando General Hospital.

The state attorney said that when police interviewed Dolloway, he claimed he was holding a gas container and his wife put out her hand. When she pulled her hands away, some of the gas spilled out and there was a loud sound. In passing sentence yesterday, St Clair Douglas said that Fraser-Dolloway spoke to her mother and sister-in-law Nicole Garraway, about what had transpired.

The incident which led to Fraser-Dolloway’s death stemmed from the fact that Dolloway did not like what his wife for cooking for him. St Clair Douglas said that the jury found Dolloway guilty on the lesser count due to the absence of intent. If there was an accident in the kitchen while Fraser-Dolloway was cooking, the judge said, there was a finding of fact that Dolloway did go downstairs to retrieve gasoline. Attorney Cedric Neptune represented the accused.

The judge said that the upper level of sentence would be 30 years, but a starting point would be 25 years. He noted that Dolloway had been in custody awaiting trial for nine years and eight months. He added that the couple had two daughters, one of whom died after her mother’s passing. St Clair Douglas said that when time spent in jail is discounted, Dolloway must serve 15 years hard labour starting from yesterday.

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