FORT WILLEM--Sherline Laidley had just come from Philipsburg when she was attacked by an unknown assailant who held a knife to her throat demanding that she gave up all her belongings or have her neck “cut off.” Laidley, a mother of a one-year-old girl replayed the disturbing incident in her head and is in shock when recalling the occurrence.
On Thursday morning at about 11:30am, Laidley got off a bus near the Prins Bernhard Bridge and was followed by a man who sneaked up behind her. She was dragged near the pond side of the road and asked not to make any sudden movements or sounds. In complete panic the woman managed to hold the knife and move it away from her neck at which time a struggle occurred between the two.
“I did not want to die and he kept telling me that he was going to cut off my neck, so I did not care and fought with him. He managed to choke me and started to punch me, giving me a black eye. He pulled my purse, found US $450, and ran away. He had on a cap but no mask, I can recognize him if I see him again,” she said.
The woman managed to call the police and says she had trouble getting an operator which took nearly 30 minutes. When she received a reply, she was told to wait at her home while a patrol was dispatched.
One hour later, a police patrol drove by her house at high speed. She called the station and asked why they did not stop by her and was allegedly told that there was an urgent situation in the area that needed their assistance.
Laidley says she was promised by Central Dispatch that another patrol would tend to her, however, she claims no police showed up on Thursday. The next morning, Laidley visited the police station to report the crime and was asked by detectives why she waited a day to report the crime. She provided a thoroughly explanation of her encounter with the bandit and police and says she had in her possession the knife the robber had dropped while they had been fighting.
Laidley handed over the weapon to detectives and urged them to investigate the incident because she almost got killed.
“The reason why I came forward is to let people know that it’s very dangerous out there and to be aware of your surroundings. Something should be done about these senseless robberies, imagine if I did not fight. Would I be the next person found dead in the pond for US $450?” asked the victim.
Chief Inspector Police spokesman Ricardo Henson confirmed that the incident took place and that police attention was urgently needed in Dutch Quarter at the time.
