Psychiatric Assessment Delayed as Ashema Chang Vanishes

A court-ordered pause in a criminal case has taken an alarming turn. Twenty-five-year-old Ashema Chang, accused of setting fire to Eugene Thompson’s Belama Phase Five home, has reportedly disappeared while awaiting a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether she is fit to face the charge. The court ordered that assessment exactly one week ago, effectively placing the case on hold. Now, as authorities search for Chang, Thompson says he fears for his safety. He disputes claims that she is missing and alleges that anonymous callers continue to harass him. News Five’s Britney Gordon looks at Chang’s reported disappearance and the growing concerns of the man whose home she allegedly set ablaze.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Where is Ashema Chang? Chang was reported missing only days after the court suspended her damage-to-property case pending a psychiatric evaluation. She is accused of setting fire to forty-five-year-old Eugene Thompson’s home in Belama Phase Five. However, Thompson claims he is currently being harassed and does not believe her to be missing.

 

Eugene Thompson, Fire Victim

“From the first time I hear that missing, wa private number start call me from then. And private number start tell me a lot of things about, ask me pa she deh and they tell me, make I continue pan things. Check, last night, up to last night they called me, and the person call me for like twenty  seconds and tell me continue and that’s it. They hang up. And da lone private number, I think, check. But in this case here, like, she not missing, no at all.”

 

The case has attracted public attention because Thompson was ordered out of his home of six years after Chang obtained a protection order against him. Attorney-at-Law Richard “Dickie” Bradley provides some insight on how the court came to this determination.

 

On the Phone: Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney-at-Law

“A magistrate can try as best he or she can under the law to protect a person who has gone to the court for protection. That protection usually is that the abuser Is not to be near to the victim, the complainant, the female. Is not to be at the home, at the church, at the school, at the place of work. If they’re out on the street, he’s not to be closer than a hundred yards away. If you see the person, you better turn and go down another lane or so. The court is there to protect the person who is facing abuse and threats.”

 

Chang was granted a protection order that allowed her to remain at the house for fifteen days. However, Thompson claims that his life had been threatened by Chang in multiple voice messages, which he later shared with authorities. With Chang’s whereabouts unknown, Thompson says he fears for his safety and remains uncertain about his next move. His neighbors are now appealing to the government for urgent assistance.

 

Voice of: Concerned Neighbor

“I would know sometimes when he has girlfriends and I didn’t see her with this girl. So I know that he hasn’t been with her long. I just di ask fi help. Ask fi anybody weh could help ah you know please.”

 

The Ministry of Health is expected to assess Chang’s fitness for trial, but a nationwide shortage of government psychiatrists could delay the process for months. Tonight, Chang remains missing, while Thompson considers legal action. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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