AS THE murder trial of 43-year-old minibus driver, Balram Teekaram continued in the High Court yesterday before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a 12-member jury, his two sons, who reside overseas, testified via Skype.

According to the indictment, Alvin Semple on April 16, 2011, in the County of Demerara, in the course or furtherance of robbing Balram Teekaram, murdered him.

Davindra Teekaram, the youngest son of the deceased, who was 16 years old at the time of the incident which took place at their former Anna Catherina Sea View, West Coast Demerara home, in sworn testimony, told the court that he was alone with his father when bandits struck.

The youngest Teekaram said he resides in Orlando, Florida and his father was a minibus driver and he got home from work and saw his father watching television at about 8:30pm.

He stated that his dad told him that he was not feeling well and he secured the house and they both retired to bed and sometime after 1a.m. he felt something cold to his head and jumped out of his sleep.

Davindra told the court that he saw two men in his bedroom and one of them was pointing a gun in his face. He heard tumbling in his father’s bedroom which was next door and surmised that there was a third person present with his father.

He noted that the two men asked him for the money and jewelery and he told them where he kept his silver chain and they took his cell phone from his bedroom as well.

Davindra added that at that point the rag which was tied around the face of one of the two bandits fell off and he recognised the man whom he knew about five years prior to the incident.

He stated that they usually played cricket in the community and he used to ask him questions about whether his father had a gun or not.

The witness said the other man with Alvin Semple was fair-skinned and squatty. He held him at gunpoint and told him to ‘shut up’ after which a pillow was thrown at him to block his view while he was lying in the bed.

Davindra said the light in his room were not on but there was adequate lighting from the bulb in his father’s bedroom which was mounted between both rooms.

The witness recalled being so afraid when he recognised Alvin and called out his name and pleaded with him not to harm them since he had handed over everything.

Davindra added that the fair-skinned man went over to his dad’s room while, Alvin stayed with him and he recalled hearing a ‘lashing’ sound then the man returned to say he had shot his father.

He told the court that he told the men not to hurt them but to take everything and leave.

In response he was asked whether he wanted to go and see his father but he declined, after which the men left and he jumped the wall and saw his father lying with blood spilling out his eye.

Davindra said he tried picking up his dad but he could not, and went over to the neighbour and told them his father had been shot and they telephoned his relatives, who arrived and took the injured Teekaram to Leonora Hospital.

He was later transferred to the GPHC where he succumbed three days later without regaining consciousness.

The other son of Balram Teekaram, Yougindra, testified also from his New Jersey home that the night of the incident in which his father was shot he was at his grandmother’s Best Village residence.

He told the court he learnt of the incident after they received a telephone call and went to the scene with his uncle, who assisted in taking his father to the hospital.

Balram Teekaram’s brother-in-law, Shirram Talmakoon, also testified that he assisted in taking the deceased to the hospital.

Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh is expected to testify tomorrow at 1pm.

The State prosecutors are Shawnette Austin and Tamieka Clarke, while the Defence Counsel is Madan Kissoon.

The robbers reportedly took away $700,000 in cash, a silver chain, a cell phone, some other jewelry and an Ipod.