Ashema Chang Breaks Silence, Denies Responsibility for Belama Fire
Ashema Chang has broken her silence following a house fire that left her former partner, Eugene Thompson, homeless. She denies responsibility for the incident.
Chang spoke during a late-night livestream, weeks after appearing in the Magistrate’s Court to answer a charge of damage to property.
She was reported missing about five days ago, days after her court appearance, and Thompson later alleged that she had never been missing and had been harassing him.
Chang said family members and friends had advised her to leave the relationship.
“From I get with this young man, all ah my colleagues, all ah my family friends di tell me get away from him, try bruk up with him,” she said during the livestream.
On September 14, Chang was granted a protection order against Thompson allowing her to remain at his home for 15 days. The house caught fire the following day.
Chang denied responsibility for the fire. “It just really hard, and I lose everything. So that house weh he said burn down, most of my stuff in there, so I no know nothing about that,” she said.
At a September 22 hearing, Chang was granted bail and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after the Chief Magistrate observed that she appeared confused and disoriented. The charge was not read to her, and the evaluation has not yet taken place.
Attorney-at-law Richard “Dickie” Bradley explained that defendants or their families may have to arrange and pay for the evaluation.
“If it’s a situation where the magistrate is offering bail, then the situation would then be that it kind of falls on that person and the family to make arrangements to get a psychiatric evaluation, which is not free,” Bradley said.
Thompson, meanwhile, said he was still struggling to find somewhere to live following the fire. He said he had not received further contact regarding his house.
“The hope is to return back from the situation, that da weh I di try to think right now because no one no contact me concerning my house again after the last contact,” Thompson said.