A review of tragedies in 2011

Murders
Lot 75 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown – Well-known city pharmacist Harold Rachpaul, 84, was murdered in his home, where he also operated a pharmacy, on August 18, 2011 in what appeared to be a robbery.
Police earlier had issued a wanted bulletin for Ryan Kissoon, called “Dhal Belly,” in connection with the murder.
The post-mortem performed on the body revealed that he died from asphyxiation.
Rachpaul, the proprietor of Rachpaul Drug Store on Robb Street, Georgetown, was found bound and gagged in his bedroom by relatives the following morning.
Robb Street, Georgetown – Three men on November 4, 2011, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to face the charge of murder committed on Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris on June 30 at her Robb Street home.
Orwin Hinds, 25, a plumber of 319 Burnham Boulevard, Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara; Kevin October, 29, a mechanic of Second Street, Agricola, Georgetown; and Cleon Hinds, 34, a taxi driver of 23 Hill Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer to the charge of murder.
The men were not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on June 30, at Robb Street, Georgetown, they murdered the deceased, Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris, 72.
Roy Jacobs, 34, a waiter of Charlestown, Georgetown, had appeared in court also charged for the murder of Fiedtkou-Parris. Jacobs was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was remanded to prison.
It was stated that the deceased was in her room and her brother was sitting outside when two men entered the yard and asked for her. She heard the enquiries and came out of the room to enquiry who the men were and what they wanted. By that time the men were in the house and they opened fire at the woman and killed her. Investigation led to the arrest of Jacobs, who admitted to being paid to kill the woman over a land dispute, and also said that he hired two men to do the job.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the other men.

Adventure, Essequibo – on July 14, 2011, Chunilall Persaud, 25, murdered his two children by drowning them in a pond near his home , after a domestic dispute, then hanged himself.
The children, two- year-old Viya and four-year-old Shiva, were later buried at a separate funeral from their father.
Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, July 7, 2011 – No one was held  for the brutal murder of physically challenged Abdul Azeem Haniff, 46, of 23 Mon Repos Pasture, who was strangled and then dumped into a septic tank in his yard, after which his house was set alight.
It was reported that around 02:30hrs on that Thursday, neighbours saw smoke billowing from the man’s home and immediately began shouting for him. However there was no response, and neighbours immediately started a water brigade and managed to extinguish the fire.
Family members said Azeem’s body was found with his head submerged in the water and one of his legs protruding.

Richmond, Essequibo Coast – On May 19, 2011, Victor Warner, 70, a businessman, was murdered and robbed at his home. His body was found by a relative early that morning, in a pool of blood, with his head bashed in. A large sum of money, raw gold and jewels were missing from his home, but there were no signs of forced entry and the place was heavily grilled.
Several persons were arrested, including some relatives, but they were released and no one was charged for the robbery/murder.
Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara – Sukhdai Bacchus, 69, of 80 Vryheid’s Lust was found dead in her home after her blood seeped through a crack in the floor and alerted a neighbour.
She had been sexually assaulted and partly nude, with her throat slit.

Alliance Road, Timehri, East Bank Essequibo – After hacking his reputed wife to death, Parmanand Seepersaud ingested poison, leaving three children orphaned on April 9, 2011.
He killed his wife, Gaitree Narine, 26, when she went to collect ‘child support’ money from him for their three children.
After hacking his wife to death, during a heated argument, in full view of the children, he ingested poison and plunged into a creek nearby. He died while being hospitalised on April10, 2011.
Camp Street and North Road, Georgetown – Sheema Mangar, 20, Demerara Bank employee, was killed after she was run-over by a car following the robbery of her blackberry cellular phone on September 10, 2011.
She was at the time awaiting transportation to return home from work when her phone was snatched by a man who then entered a car . She went after him and stood in front of the vehicle. She was run over and received serious injuries from which she later died.

Le Repentir Cemetery – the bullet-riddled body of Carlos Persaud, 31, of 6 Ram’s Canefield Drive, Friendship, East Bank Demerara, was found on March 12, 2011 in  Le Repentir Cemetery, after he left home to run an errand.
The man’s car was found abandoned in ‘C’ Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown. No one was ever charged for the murder of the father of four.
South Ruimveldt, Georgetown – The body of Najiean Sadick, 73, of 2115 Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt Park, was found in her home on March 4, 2011with her feet bound and a gag in her mouth.
The woman lived alone and operated a small stand selling mango pickles. Her body was discovered by students who went to make a purchase.
A post mortem later revealed that she died of a fractured spine compounded by compression injury to the neck.
La Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara – The body of former policeman, Igris Bob Blackman, 34, was found with multiple stab wounds to the body in his septic tank on January 20, 2011.

He was involved in a bitter property dispute with his reputed wife, and had gone to collect his clothes the night he was killed. The woman and another man were arrested and charged for the murder.
Dr. Sand Road, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara – John Blanchard, 31, who was left to care for his three children, Belika, 10, Daniel, four, and Joy, seven, while his wife went to the interior to work as a cook, went berserk and butchered his children on October 11, 2011.
He was arrested and has since been charged for the murders of his own children.
Grant 182, Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice – Stefon Bacchus, 18, was beheaded after an argument over laziness with a cousin and others while at a camp working on November 9, 2011.
Bacchus , during a heated  row, slapped the suspect; and after some time began provoking him after which he armed himself with a cutlass and chopped Bacchus on the neck.

Fires
Broad and Lombard Street, Georgetown – More than 20 persons, including scores of children, lost their houses after fire ripped through a section of the city on August 17, 2011.
The blaze was triggered by some faulty electrical wiring when a man decided to demolish a shack nearby.
Urquhart Street, Georgetown – Fire, believed to be the work of an arsonist, destroyed the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) Stores and marine supplies building on August 11, 2011.
The blaze, which started shortly after 01:00hr, consumed a bond, and living quarters spanning from Urquhart to Water Streets.
Bloomfield, Corentyne, Berbice – A 63-year-old man was burnt to death after his house was destroyed by fire on June 13, 2011.
The pensioner, Morgan Jagai, lived alone and had returned to Guyana after living overseas for many years.
Stanleytown, Berbice – On June 8, 2011, the charred remains of Hazel Johnson, 52, who was partly blind, was found in her rented two-storeyed house in New Amsterdam, during a power outage.
The conflagration was caused by an unattended kerosene lamp.
Dazzell Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara – On May 24, 2011, two brothers, Julius, five, and Josiah, four, perished in a fire at their home at 18th Street.

The bodies of the boys were burnt beyond recognition and were huddled together in an early morning fire of unknown origin,  but a sibling was rescued from the building.
Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara – A toddler, Nichloas Maraj, of Vryheid’s Lust Squatting Area, died in a fire on March 22, 2011 at his home. At the time of the fire, the 30-month-old was left with a six-year-old brother after their grandmother went to take her other grandchildren to school.
Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara – Several buildings, including businesses and dwelling houses, were razed by fire on March 5, 2011, resulting in dozens being homeless and millions of dollars in losses.
The fire originated from the Dragon Chinese Restaurant, after a makeshift oven exploded.
Main and Holmes Street, Georgetown – An early morning fire destroyed several business places, including  Frandec Travel Service and Co. (Insurance) Inc., Liat Airline,  Archie Humphrey Machinery (Hardware); and Dagron Tours International, on January 11, 2011.
The fire started after an object was hurled into the upper flat of Frandec Travel Service building, after which an explosion was heard and fire ripped through the businesses at Main and Holmes Streets.

Bel Air, Greater Georgetown – Fire, believed to be electrical in origin, destroyed the home of Solicitor General Sita Ramlal and Norman McLean, on December 19, 2011.

Fatal Accidents

Airy Hall, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara – Two persons, who were part of a group of Muslims on their way to a religious function and were travelling in a Tundra, died on October 2.
The two persons who died were Colin Williams 15, of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty; and Raheem Xavier, 13, of Calendar Street, Albouystown. They were pronounced dead on arrival at the Mahaicony Hospital.
At the time, the group was on their way to a Quaseeda Competition at Belmonte, on the West Coast Berbice, when the accident occurred just after 10:00hrs.

Sulphur Rose, Buckhall, Essequibo River – On  November 24, 2011 a fatal accident at Sulphur Rose, Buckhall, Essequibo River claimed the lives of Stacy Benn, 38, and Kurt Inniss, 40, of Lower Pomeroon, Essequibo. Police reported that at about 11:00 hrs,  Arjune Ishwardeen of Adventure, Essequibo Coast, was driving a motor lorry in the Sulphur Rose, Buckhall area, when he reportedly lost control of the vehicle while going down a hill.
The vehicle, carrying fuel and foodstuff, along with six other persons, toppled, resulting in injuries to the driver, Kurt Inniss, 40, of Lower Pomeroon, Essequibo, and four others.
Taken to the Suddie Hospital, Stacy Benn and Kurt Inniss were pronounced dead on arrival, while the others were admitted .

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