Jury rules death by misadventure of Bequia man

After a coroner’s inquest into the 2014 death of Bequia resident Colville Ollivierre concluded last Friday, January 24, a jury determined that his was death by misadventure.

Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne presided over the inquest, while jury members delivered the decision.

Ollivierre died on October 29, 2014, after succumbing to cutlass wounds. His son, Diandrous Williams, now 26 years old, was the focus of the inquest.

He was represented by counsel Joseph Delves.

Williams’ version of events was that his father, a known alcoholic, went home that day to the residence that he and his father shared , with a bottle of rum.

The jury was told that, after consuming alcohol, the father regularly threatened his son and on occasion had threatened to kill him.

On the day in question, the son said that he had told his grandmother that her son, Colville, had stolen alcohol from her.

Williams said that this was the reason why the father first flew into a rage on the day. The father got one of his cutlasses and started beating the walls with it, Williams remembers. At that time the son said he called his aunt, but when he tried to give the phone to his father, he took it and smashed it to the floor.

The son became frightened and escaped from the house, returning later where he met his girlfriend with their weeks old baby.

Even after some time elapsed, his father continued to misbehave, but the young man was about to go to sleep.

The evidence was that his father knocked on the bedroom door, and Williams responded, unsure as to whether he needed help.

However, as soon as he opened the door a cutlass ‘flew’ at him; his father had fired a chop at him. Williams said that the chop was aimed at his head/neck region, and that he raised his arm to block it.

He showed Browne and the jury a long scar that he still has from that night.

Williams rushed into the father, and sustained more cuts.

Managing to get the cutlass away, Williams said his intention was to disable his father, and that he was afraid that his father would get the other cutlasses he had in the house.

He chopped his father on both hands, but was unable to tell the jury how many times he did so.

The 26 year old’s lawyer highlighted that although Williams had a promising sporting career, because of a breakdown, he no longer played football. Furthermore, since the incident no-one on his father’s side of the family speaks to him.

Williams said that when he recalls the incident from time to time he cries about it and has many sleepless nights.