DHARAMRAJ Persaud, known as “Kris” stood with a smug look on his face as Justice James Bovell-Drakes handed down an 18 year jail sentence for the offence of manslaughter.

Persaud was deported from United States of America in 2010 and on April 29, 2012, he fatally wounded 17-year-old Sasenarine Persaud, known as “Suraj” at Number 70 Village, Corentyne. The unarmed teenager received five stab wounds about the upper chest. Persaud was charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

Addressing the prisoner, Justice Bovell-Drakes noted that the sentence is reflective of the evidence, which included a caution statement, a probation report, the post mortem report, a psychiatric analysis and the plea in mitigation.

In reading the caution statement, the Judge related that, “You were on the road by ‘JoJo’ residence, where you had gone to purchase cigarettes . Whilst there, JoJo called you to take a shot of Vodka. You took a couple of shots. You recognised that there was a bar preparing Bar-B-Que. The now deceased approached unarmed and you stabbed him five times. You did so as you told him to stay away. You ran away. You went home as you were afraid that relatives of the deceased would have followed and killed you. You locked your house, packed three bags before using the same knife to stab yourself and according to your statement you always acted in a similar manner while you resided overseas.”

The Judge said he is satisfied that the accused is aware of the consequences of his actions.

“As the wider community will be concerned that the court of law may be looking quite candidly at the period of incarceration, but I have to balance in the interest of you, the State and the persons who lost their relative. I know from this experience you shall make a resolution that you will not consume alcohol,” the Judge noted.

In handing down the sentence, the Judge said there was no degree of planning in committing the offence and that Persaud was frank and cooperative with investigators.

KILLING WAS UNWARRANTED
Meanwhile, State Prosecutor, Orintha Schimdt described the incident as “unwarranted,” noting that the killing stemmed from an altercation between the convict, the cousin of the victim and his step-father.

The now dead teen had intervened in the argument in an effort to take his relatives home and it was during that time he was fatally stabbed.

“The act was overkill,” the Prosecutor said. Meanwhile, in her plea of mitigation, defence lawyer, Tania Warren Clement, said her client’s plea to the lesser count of manslaughter indicated that he did not waste the court’s time or the country’s resources in conducting a trial, which may have lasted for several days or weeks.

Making legal submissions, the lawyer urged the court to look at the evidence of intoxication, indicating that Persaud was not the master of his own mind, and as such, judgment was impaired.

SUICIDE ATTEMPT
Also giving evidence was Cuban born Psychiatrist, Dr. Mayda Grajeles, who revealed that the prisoner had attempted suicide in 2012, but was discharged from her supervision a year later.

Meanwhile, in her probation report, Senior Probation and Social Services Officer, Voonashewarie Gopal, reported that Persaud grew up in a stable middle-class nuclear family, with the father being gainfully employed, while the mother stayed at home.

Persaud attended primary school, but reportedly departed the school system prematurely on his own accord. Afterwards, the family migrated to the United States of America, but five years later the father died, and the mother became responsible for providing for her family’s economic needs.

The Officer noted that while the parents provided love and financial security, they failed to ensure that he achieved an educational career. The court heard that being the youngest child, he was pampered and despite the family migration he was not allowed to continue his schooling.

Further, prior to his incarceration, Persaud did not have a daily structured activity, and as a result he came into conflict with the law in the USA and in his homeland after his deportation in 2010.