Challenged statement in headless body murder case rejected
JUSTICE Brassington Reynolds yesterday ruled in favour of the Defence  and threw out a challenged caution statement in the headless body murder case at the Berbice Assizes.
The ruling, on the attestation attributed to the accused, Danny Busjit, followed a two weeks long voir dire (trial within a trial), after Defence Counsel Mursalene Bacchus and Kim Kyte-John objected to its admissibility.
The lawyers representing Busjit submitted that the deposition was secured through threats and promises to him, by persons in authority and not given freely and voluntarily.
The objection was taken during the testimony of Police Detective Assistant Superintendent Gary Mc Allister, who said the prisoner had elected to make the written statetment.
Earlier, Mc Allister, led through evidence-in-chief by State Prosecutor Dionne Mc Cammon told the Court that, after contacting Busjit at Mibicuri Police Station, in Black Busk Polder, Corentyne, he put the allegation, under caution, to the man in the dock and the latter offered to tell what happened.
Meanwhile, another witness, Police Detective Corporal Iman Fordyce, now stationed at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, testified about visiting the crime scene at Mibicuri and seeing the headless body of the victim which he escorted to Port Mourant Hospital, Corentyne.
Fordyce said, on November 30, 2005, the dead man’s son, Syaan Kalidas identified the remains of his father, Surjnarine Kalidas, 74.
The witness said, following a post mortem examination, the corpse was buried at Blairmont, West Bank Berbice, on December 1, 2005.
Under cross-examination, Fordyce said it was the first time he had gone into the yard where the discovery was made. Prior to then, he did not know whose property it was.
Then stationed at Whim, Corentyne, the witness said the fingers of the murdered man were adorned with jewellery that was not removed by anyone while his body remained in his yard.
Fordyce confirmed that the body was not identified by its facial features.
The case is continuing.