THE CONTROVERSIAL wall which virtually marooned homeowner Margot O’Brien in her home at Iris-Sam Gardens, St Philip, is down.
Early yesterday morning, Edwin Callender, brother of land developer Erma Callender, began removing the wall which was erected last April.
The Callenders, who sold O’Brien the house two years ago for $469 000, said the contractor had erred in the placement of the gate. They wanted to remove the gate and reposition it, but when O’Brien resisted the wall went up.
Yesterday, Edwin Callender said he was removing the wall “because the judge made an order and we must obey”.
However, he maintained that the issue was a “black and white issue”.
“The judge said that the gate would have to be removed, but she went and get a big maguffy lawyer and he come into court saying that she buy the land as is and she must be given access, so I have to take this down just to please him,” he said, adding that he was given until 4:30 p.m. to remove the wall.
He said they had erected the wall and built a gate for access to two other houses.
“We don’t know what will happen now because the people who were buying the properties left the island because of all the bad publicity.”O’Brien, 62, who is caucasian, dismissed any suggestions that it was a racial issue.
“That is absolute nonsense. If I had bought the land from a white person and they had done this, I would have still taken them to court. You can’t sell somebody a property and then deny them access,” she said, adding that she was happy that the wall had finally come down. (MB)
