ON Tuesday the state presented its closing arguments to the members of the jury, two days before Justice Roxane George SC sums up the case.

Prosecutor Diana Kaulesar told the court that on the evening of February 17, 2008 when residents of Bartica were engrossed in the 20/20 cricket being televised,an atrocity was committed when 12 persons were killed. She added that the incident has left an indelible mark on the minds of the relatives of those killed.

Kaulesar stated that the men involved had a plan and acted on it as part of the joint-enterprise and it doesn’t matter at what point someone joins, they are also liable for their actions which caused the death of 12 persons. She gave a detailed outlined of the case from start to end, pointing out certain evidence presented in court with more than a dozen witnesses testifying, in a two-month long trial.

She related that some witnesses were ‘witnesses of convenience’such as when Sheldon Williams showed up at the High Court to provide an alibi for his cousin, Mark Royden Williams, but never gave evidence in the Magistrate’s Court or gave a statement to the police. She stated that he had an award-winning performance on the stand, claiming he was ‘squaddies’ and like a ‘brother and father’ with two of the three cops killed in that incident yet he could not recall their regulation numbers.

Kaulesar added that he went back to bed and slept after learning of their demise and was not troubled at all. She pointed out that Shane Fredericks’ mother testified and she was able to remain composed even though her son was shot 10 times. Kaulesar highlighted the role the three accused played in the crime and how witnesses placed them at the scene. She spent some time describing what took place in Bartica on the night in question, which left 12 persons dead after a gang of heavily armed men descended on that community.

Meanwhile, Defence Counsel Peter Hugh also made his closing submission on Tuesday when he outlined several witnesses testifying in the trial,stating that his client, Roger Simon called “Goat Man” was not at Bartica when the incident took place. He told the court that Simon was mistaken for Papa Willie by Police Constable Chester Benjamin, who picked him out in an identification parade as the man he saw from two storeys up, wearing a flop hat and being about 30 feet away that night.

On trial are Mark Royden Williams called “Smallie”, Dennis Williams called “Anaconda” and Roger Simon called “Goat Man” each indicted for 12 counts for the murder of nine civilians and three policemen at Bartica on February 17, 2008. However, two of the five accused, Michael Caesar and Clebert Reece have since plead guilty to manslaughter separately and have been sentenced.

Mark Royden Williams is being represented by Roger Yearwood, Dennis Williams’ lawyer is Saphier Hussain and Roger Simon’s attorney is Peter Hugh. During the February 17, 2008 rampage, 12 persons were gunned down by a group of heavily armed men, who descended on Bartica at nightfall.

Those who lost their lives were Bartica residents Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian and Irving Ferreira; policemen stationed at the Bartica Police Station, Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir, Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne; Deonarine Singh of Wakenaam; Ronald Gomes of Kuru Kururu; Ashraf Khan of Middlesex, Essequibo; Abdool Yasseen and Errol Thomas of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo; and Baldeo Singh of Montrose, East Coast Demerara.