Man Tries to Burn Ex-Girlfriend’s Home Twice in One Night

A family from Flamboyant Street in Belize City says they are in fear after a man tried to burn down their house on two separate occasions in the same night. 47-year-old Hanisha Castro says that her daughter’s ex-boyfriend 21-year-old Hugh Anthony Andrewin set fire to a sofa after her daughter ended their relationship. The first attempt happened at ten o’clock last night, but Castro managed to extinguish the fire before it did any major damage to her home. She went to make a report to the police; however, she says she was given the run around. Andrewin reportedly came back around four o’clock this morning and set fire to a curtain. This fire torched another sofa and caused damage to a window, but again, Castro and her family managed to douse the fire. She recounted the terrifying events to our newsroom earlier today.

Hanisha Castro, Homeowner: “The dispute ended up with her leaving the relationship and she asked him to leave the premises. So before he left he had threatened us. When my daughter did the call to the police he heard her on the phone and so he ran and gone to make the police not catch him. However that time the police didn’t come. At 10 o’clock last night which was the 11th of June he came and he came into my house, he put on all the burners on my stove full, all out and I saw him lighting my sofa at the entrance of this door and it caught fire. Me and my colleague we managed to out it with buckets of water, that was the first incident. Then we went to the police. Well there was where we got the push around. We went to Mahogany Street, Mahogany Street sent us to CIB on Raccoon Street then they took us to DVU because they said it was DVU’s problem. Then DVU informed us that they do not deal with in-laws since I am the owner of the house. So I had to go and make the report myself. When he came at four now I had already fell in a little doze, my daughter’s baby got up and when she got up she said “Fire.” He started it from off this same curtain here.”

Castro says that she feels if the domestic violence unit had acted quicker, the second incident could have been avoided. 

Hanisha Castro, Homeowner: “If they had said deal with the family from then then maybe they could have put something in place. So right at the DVU is where we got the nasty response, so that is where I will say made that mistake there because first of all when things like this happen they should know where we are supposed to go to place these kinds of reports you know ? Instead of having us….we’re already frustrated that our properties are being damaged then they will have a push around and all of those things. It’s not right. I haven’t slept since last night, I have a headache. I tell you I went, wet my hair that isn’t supposed to be wet at this time but I have to wet it because at the end of the day we can’t sleep. And then where my granddaughter was so traumatized this morning I had to take her with me to make these reports this morning. So at the end of the day that is a frightening thing to get up to fire and smoke. On that note I hope they find him.”

Police have since issued an official wanted poster for Andrewin, who remains at large./