pgtips

Here I was busy scouring the internet for a flight deal to St Lucia during the summer holidays. Peak time fares or what 800 pounds a seat x 4, well a bit cheaper for the kiddies. Well hey that pissed me off a bit, but not as much as this e mail I recieved recently.




HI everbody,
This is a true stoty. I happen to know the couple personally. The Criminals seem to be targeting returnees from the UK and USA.I just have to be very watchfull and carefull.



Subject: Fwd: Fwd: Kidnapping/Extortion reaches Helen- Big Time.




Sounds so much like Trinidad!! Like its getting contagious. So sorry to hear this.



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Subject: Re: Kidnapping/Extortion reaches Helen- Big Time.


Believe it or not the incident below happened in St Lucia.(Not part of a movie!!)

Sometime last Friday a man is captured near his home beaten and taken up into the house by some armed masked men.

The man's wife is in the home and is violently attacked also. Both are hog tied and kept there for the weekend.

Occasionally she is let loose (I suppose for food etc) but under serious surveillance. (armed of course).

On Monday morning following explicit instructions (after obtaining information from the elderly couple on their bank accounts),

the wife was is made to travel to a local bank and forced to make a withdrawal of $17,000( as reported).

She was said to have been monitored every step of the way and confirmation of her every move was communicated to her by

cell phone at significant points on her way to ensure she got the message; that any false move will result in the husband's death.

She was instructed to deposit the cash at a particular location (phone booth!!! sounds like a movie right?)) somewhere along the way.

Only when she did that I suppose (and the money was safely picked up by the bandits) that she is told to return home, and is able to buy her husband (and

her) freedom!

The elderly couple lived in the North western part of the country and both retired after having spent years in the UK.

Merci Bon Dieu, their lives were spared...maybe because they had saved some money from their "working years".

One wonders why have none of our leaders seen it fit yet to "admit" where this country is going crime wise and truly make it a national effort

and not a political one!. This has to be a good type for a National Symposium on Crime...tout monde all the best brains (and no brains - we have plenty!)

come together!

We are on one hand asking Lucian to return home and invest and then this.......

For us down here this is a new level of crime (at least in the public view).

Have we just witnessed the entry of a more sophisticated crime (and criminal element)

in our small country?



Now guys, you know I am one who always promotes our beautiful island, but I consider you my friends , so I am telling you as it is. I know this couple(about 70 years old) and trust me I am fuming that an elderly couple or anyone should be subject to this.

I will give you the good as well as the bad, no cover ups by me. If visiting St Lucia be careful. If moving to the island invest in a couple of dogs and proper security.

3aces

My initial thoughts were that it is some sort of joke or malicious rumor circulating but when I got the bottom I realised I was wrong!

Yikes!!!!

pgtips

3aces, I truely wish it was a joke, and if I did not personally know the couple affected I would be a bit dubious. It is such a cowardly act on an elderly couple who just want to live their retirement years in peace. Boy am I fuming !!!

Foxy_fromCanada

Wow, PG, I'm so sorry that your friends had to go through such a horrible ordeal. What a coward who put them through it!

Dogs really are a good security system here in the Caribbean.

I hope your friends are okay and St. Lucia's reputation isn't tarnished by one coward's actions.

Foxy

A_Zimbo

It's quite true. See the last few paragraphs of the local rag, The Voice:

http://www.thevoiceslu.com/local_new...TY_BEEF_UP.htm

It's getting out of hand down here these days.

A_Zimbo

Don't know what you mean by "One Coward" foxy but I would suggest you check the reports of the number of homicides we have had so far this year. Then add to that the less well reported number of thefts and other crime. Sorry but there is no denying it, this place is not what it was 12 to 18 months ago and there seems to be very little being done about it. I hope somebody somewhere in authority starts to get to grips with it otherwise this sort of thing can unravel with lightening speed.

pgtips

Hi, A_Zimbo, where on the island are you living ?
This incident happened in Babonneau a village a bit off the beaten track.
Not many ex pats there, but this is where they chose to retire to.
Personally I would stick to more established ex pat/returnee areas, but this is where they chose.
Sometimes when you return to a small island and build a nice house in a very local area you can get some resentment from some of the locals. They do not realise that you may have had to work bloody hard to be able to buy what you have, and all they see you as is easy pickings. I am sure if this couple had a couple had a some trained German Shepherd dogs the bandits would have thought twice about bothering them. Anyway I hope they catch the low life scum who did this and they get what they deserve.

A_Zimbo

You are absolutely correct PG. I am down in Marigot. Crime has gone beserk on the island and I would say, that and the water shortage are the two main talking points for anybody , irrespective of ethnicity or background on the island since both are affecting us all.

LottieLou

pg, that is one hell of a story and i can't believe something like that actually happened!! Did this couple report it to the police?

i've noticed more resentment since i came over 4 years ago, even this morning this guy asked me for $10, then when I said no he called me a %£(%$#" white b%&£...charming eh?!

as for the water shortage...meh, i've managed to have one shower over the past week...at 4 in the morning!!!!

nomad416

Hi, new Canadian member to britishexpats.com here. (Too bad there doesn't seem to be a Canadian equivalent of this neat site)

My wife (who's originally from Trinidad) and I along with our five-month old son are off to St. Lucia for a week starting this Sunday. We're staying at the Coconut Bay resort and planning to tour the island and research the possibility of getting a little home for us there in the near future. I'm still considering other islands as well for the future, like Antigua and Grenada.

But then after reading this thread on crime in St. Lucia...wow, looks like I have some newsreading to catch up on...and it looks like we gotta be extra careful.

Well, let's hope our time in St. Lucia won't be spoiled by crime.

Foxy_fromCanada

Hi there Nomad, and welcome.

I can't speak to St. Lucia, but there are plenty of others who can.

I can tell you, however, that I've spent some time in Grenada and loved it. A friend of mine is living there and I visit whenever possible. Really pretty and really nice people.

Good luck.
Foxy

nomad416

Foxy: thanks for the warm welcome and the comments about Grenada. I think Grenada will be the next island we'll visit. Haven't heard too much about it, but looks like I'll do a search on this forum to see more comments about it.

Pammy

Cross Antigua off your list, its not what it used to be either, we have friends there(locals)who say its not what it used to be and outsiders are not welcome, of course if you are just staying on your resort or decide to live in a gaited area you will be OK(hopefully, as some of the security guys are corrupt too)we stopped holidaying there after visiting 6 years in a row as things were getting scary even though the resort was crawling with 'security', there are no private beaches in Antigua so anyone and their dog can wander onto the resorts so if you do holiday there be cautious at night.....look at Turks & Caicos, thats where I am heading next

nomad416

Pammy: thx very much for the info on Antigua. My wife and I only went there for a day (cruise ship stopover) about two years ago, and it looked nice enough, but a day unfortunately doesn't showcase everything. Looks like Antigua might be off our list.

As for the Turks & Caicos, my wife is looking for a place that has fertile soil so she can have her own backyard for tropical gardening, just like she had growing up in Trinidad; she especially wants a good selection of mango trees to keep her happy. So places like TCI are unfortunately unsuitable.

(Hmm, I think I'll start a new post about possible places so as not to divert this thread's original discussion.)

Pammy

Hi, have a look at myturksandcaicosblog.com, theres tons of gorgeous plants and flowers in T&C, if she is orig from Trinidad would you not consider Tobago?

St Lucia is very lush but seems crime is increasing, plenty of info here again!