Another goat farmer in Westmoreland killed

Several disgruntled goat farmers in Crowder, Grange Hill, Westmoreland, are calling on the Westmoreland police to carry out more patrols in their community following the gruesome murder of another goat herder on Wednesday.

The latest victim has been identified as 70-year-old Aron Scarlett of Crowder district in Grange Hill. He is the third goat herder to be robbed of his livestock and murdered in that community over the past three months.

The concerned goat farmers said that an increase in the police presence was needed in the community as a deterrent to the hard-core criminals.

“Rasta was a good and honest, hard-working citizen, and every day him just focus pon him farm an him goats, but the thief dem come een, an just kill him an tek weh him goat suh,” said a man who only gave his name as Eric.

Scarlett’s common-law wife, Rosetta Summerville, told The Gleaner that her partner left home about 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday for his goat farm which is located in an area known as Shaw Pen.

“After him go bush mi nuh si him come back, all inna di 10:30 mi nuh si him come back,” she said noting that it was a taxi man who told her that her partner was killed at his farm.

The distraught woman said she rushed to the location and attempted to view the body but was stopped by a relative who feared she could get ill as a result of her medical condition.

The Westmoreland police have reported that the elderly goat farmer was shot and chopped to death. Praedial larceny is believed to have been the motive behind this latest attack.

Scarlett’s death comes three months after two other popular goat herders, 65-year-old Henry Jones, otherwise called ‘Mass Hen’, and 44-year-old Brian Chambers, otherwise called ‘Fowlie’, both of the same community were also killed in a similar fashion.

Summerville told The Gleaner that she is now convinced that the goat herders are being targeted.

“Mi believe seh a somebody from close by involved in a dem tings yah, and a full time the police come een, because dem a target the goat farmers dem.”

Efforts to get a comment from the police were unsuccessful.

Since the start of the year, a total of 24 persons have been murdered across the parish of Westmoreland.