Boy tied up and forced to watch father die
Raiders gun down farmer at Bahamas holiday home
A BOY of 13 watched his British father bleed to death in an armed raid on their luxury family home in the Bahamas.
Edgar Dart, 56, was gunned down in front of his family when he tried to remonstrate with three masked and gun-toting intruders.
The gang were threatening his teenage son George and five relatives after bursting into the sprawling property at 7am on Tuesday.
As Mr Dart lay dying on the floor, the killers tied the rest of the family up and ransacked the house before fleeing with cash and jewellery.
Mr Dart’s brother-in-law Philip Poole said his own son, Pip, 29, was also attacked and suffered machete wounds.
He added: ‘Edgar was a tough guy and as soon as the men burst into the house he remonstrated with them. One of the raiders then shot him in the chest.
‘The gang then tied everyone up, including his mother Joy and George. I have been told they were forced to look on helplessly as Edgar lay on the floor bleeding to death in front of them.
‘It took him around an hour to die and there was just nothing they could do for him.
‘The gang simply ransacked the house taking money and jewellery and then left. We just cannot believe what has happened. It is so difficult being so many miles away when family members have been involved in something as horrific as this.
‘The police report on the killing is very scant. Crime is on the increase on the island and they do not want such matters reported because they fear it will damage the tourist industry.’
The house near the city of Freeport belongs to Joy, who is a 79year-old widow.
Her other son Colin, 55, his wife Alison and their 15-year-old son Luke also witnessed the murder. Mr Poole, f rom Canterbury, added: ‘I do know that Alison managed to finally free herself and raise the alarm but by then it was too late for Edgar who had bled to death.
‘The worst image we have from this tragedy is George bound and gagged watching his father die – and there was nothing he could do to help him.’
Joy moved to Grand Bahama in 1996 and built a house on the island with her husband Colin, who died of cancer in December.
Mr Dart’s 57-year-old sister, Virginia Redfern, who owns a hotel in Exminster, Devon, was planning to fly out to help comfort family members.
Born in Devon, Mr Dart had a
‘Nothing he could do to help’
farm in Topsham near Exeter before emigrating to Canada 16 years ago. The divorcee took up agriculture again in Winnipeg and often flew to visit his mother.
Crime has become a problem for the authorities on Grand Bahama, and eight murders have been recorded this year.
Two months ago the US embassy warned that ‘a number of US citizens had fallen victim to armed robbery and two had been mur- dered in the last eight months’. The most recent victims were two American tourists visiting Jaws Beach in the western New Providence area. They were mugged by robbers armed with assault rifles.
In one particularly embarrassing incident that emerged last December acting prime minister Philip Davis was robbed at gunpoint.
Last night the police issued a statement saying: ‘ Police received information that a male was fatally shot at a residence in the Emerald Bay area.
‘Officers responded and it was reported that sometime around 7am on Tuesday a male reported that while at home with his family three masked men armed with a handgun and a machete entered their home and they were robbed. An altercation occurred between the assailant and one of the male residents who was fatally shot.
‘Medical personnel responded and the body was pronounced dead at the scene by doctors from the Rand Memorial Hospital.’
Officers appealed for information to track down the gang.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the death of a British national in the Bahamas and we are providing consular assistance.’