A single mother who has also been identified as the daughter of retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), George Vyphuis, is now in a traumatized state after she was attacked during the wee hours of Tuesday morning by an armed and masked bandit in front of her Plantation Providence, East Bank Demerara home.
Speaking to INews earlier today, Kathy Vyphuis was in tears while describing her horrifying encounter, and constantly praising her neighbour, Nicole Telford for coming to her “rescue.”
According to the single parent, she finished working at around 02:00hrs, and was given a drop home by her supervisor- identified only as Tommy Lee.
She recalled that as soon as the motorcar pulled up in front of her flat concrete home, she noticed a masked man approach her supervisor in the driver’s seat, holding a gun.
Vyphuis recalled that she quickly scrambled out of the vehicle after hearing the bandit ordering “Tommy Lee” not to move.
The supervisor then accelerated and managed to flee in his motor car, but not before being shot once to his hand. The bullet reportedly went through his hand and punctured his leg.
The bandit then turned on Vyphuis who was attempting to flee on foot, but instead stumbled and lost her footing, crashing into a nearby gutter.
“I was crying and throwing my bag at him and telling him I don’t have anything. Let him take my bag. I was begging for my life,” she said.
At that point, the perpetrator reportedly picked up the woman’s handbag and hopped onto his bicycle, leaving the scene.
The sobbing woman began running towards her neighbours’ doors, shouting for help but was met with no one opening their doors for her, except for her “life saver” Nicole Telford.
“I called for help and no body open the door except for Ms Telford. She opened her door and asked if anyone was with me, and I said no. She tell me walk and come slowly and mek sure no one was following me.”
It was only after Vyphuis reached the safety of Telford’s home that she realized she was covered in mud and blood, after reportedly being shot once to her hand. She however, could not recall when she was hit.
The two women sought to contact the police as well as Vyphuis’ father.
Shortly after, INews was told that a man identifying himself as another neighbour came knocking on Telford’s door, requesting that the women open up.
Telford said ” he kept banging on the door and saying that he was a neighbour and we asking he which neighbour, identify yourself and he kept saying some neighbour from down the road with a yellow car and we said we don’t know anyone like that.”
“He telling me to come for my bag and is not me he wanted and we refuse to open the door and start screaming hard.”
The man subsequently went away, and almost an hour later, the police arrived at the scene informing Vyphuis that the directions which were given by her-in a distraught state- were hard to follow.
The single mother was then treated at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.
She said she later learnt that her supervisor is in a critical state at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“They say he pressure high and they can’t operate on he and so. I’m so sorry. I’m so worried. Is the first time he drop me home and look what happen. I hope nothing happen to he,” she said in tears.
Investigations are ongoing.
