“He frustrated her. He beat and abused her in all forms, and threatened to take further action on her family if she left him. People don’t know and some will never understand, but my daughter didn’t deserve this,” said Linda Downes, Nixiann Downes-Clack’s mother, distraught that her first child and first daughter died in such an inhumane way.
The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) disclosed that an autopsy conducted on Nixiann Downes-Clack – the young woman who was found inside a suitcase in a shallow grave in Mt Mortiz last week Friday – revealed that she died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, and asphyxiation by strangulation.
A statement from the RGPF said the autopsy was conducted on Sunday 22 June, approximately 48 hours after the Criminal Investigating Department was believed to have acted on a confession statement. Her husband, Alexander Clack confessed that he had killed and buried her in the location. Both Clack and an unnamed female teenager were detained and were assisting the investigation of Nixiann’s disappearance, after she failed to meet her mother, Linda Downes, last week Tuesday.
Clack made his first appearance in Court on Monday. His lawyer Anslem Clouden is claiming that the police beat his client in the head and forced a confession out of him. Accusing the police of brutality, Clouden told the media that his client was questioned in the absence of his lawyer, which is a right guaranteed in the constitution.
“He is injured and alleges that his injuries were sustained while in police custody just about the time a confession was forced out of him… we have to get this straight here. The police have a duty. We cannot be mimic men if we following the law; there are certain protective mechanisms to ensure that an accused person has a fair trial and we must follow it to the letter,” he said. Angry onlookers questioned Clouden’s decision to take up the matter.
Claiming he personally has no knowledge about the heinous crime which has left a 2 year old without a mother, and a mother without a daughter, Clouden said that under the law his client must be presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court of law. When asked by the media if his focus is on the claim that Clack is alleging he was beaten, and not on the fact that a body was found, Clouden replied, “I have no knowledge of this… I know nothing about any gruesome murder.”
Clack was remanded to Prison and will return to court on 10 July, where the result of his medical examination is expected to be disclosed before the court. Despite, Clouden’s application that he see a doctor forthwith, under the law once any person is sent to prison to serve a sentence or await a trial, a medical doctor must thoroughly examine that person and produce a report for the records.
As Clouden spoke about the innocence of his client, Nixiann’s mother was distraught that her first child and first daughter did not deserve to die in such an inhumane way. She claimed that the husband, who according to police is a British national, was very abusive to her daughter and deprived her of having relationship with her family.
“He frustrated her, he beat and abuse her in all forms and threatened to take further action on her family if she leave him, people don’t know and some will never understand but my daughter don’t deserve this,” said the weeping mother.
By Linda Straker
