CHILD CARE PROTECTION HEAD RESIGN AFTER PRESSURE IN NEESA GOPAUL CASE

Neesa Lalita Gopaul

-HM OF QUEENS COLLEGE ALSO BEING PRESSURED TO RESIGN

Following reports that murdered teenager Neesa Lalita Gopaul had made reports to the child protection Agency but the agency failed to assist the teenager, the head of that agency has resigned after pressure from a number of sources.

The operations manager at the Child Care and Protection Unit of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Diana Lawrence, resigned on Friday even as an investigation that was ordered by Human Services Minister, Priya Mancikchand is ongoing. The Minister at a press conference earlier this week admitted that the agency failed the teen who was clobbered until her head was nearly taken off her body.

 The officers subsequently did nothing to undertake follow ups to determine whether any progress was being made as it relates to the 16-year-old Neesa Lalita Gopaul.

Meanwhile there's another twist to the story. The head of Queens College Friedel Isaacs is also being pressured to resign after she too reportedly failed to assist the teen. The head mistress told Child Care Protection officers that it was against school policy to allow them to speak to Neesa about the abuse she was facing. The officers attempted to contact the teen via her school after her mother and step father told officers that she was not at home and they did not have a contact number for her. The mother Shareema Gopaul and Barry Small-the step father have been charged for murder. The teen had alleged that her step father abused her sexually and drugged her before doing the act on many occasions. Her mother too it is understood knew of the abuse but she too was abused physically by Small.

More details in Tommorow's Guyana Times newspaper.