JUSTICE Brassington Reynolds has imposed a 22-year sentence on child killer Fazal Mohammed, after describing the act as senseless.Senior Probation and Social Service Officer, Ms. Voonashewarie Gopaul, painted a grim picture of the convict, a product of a broken marriage, and whose childhood years were laced with cigarettes and alcohol usage.

However, Defence Counsel Raymond Ali, noted that his client’s plea to the lesser count follows a hung jury decision on June 15, 2014, and pleaded with the Honourable court to give full credit for the plea.
Additionally, Ali, while pleading for leniency, disputed the State’s assertion, that Mohammed showed no remorse for his actions, and argued that his client had indeed been repentant which resulting in him confessing to manslaughter.
Earlier, Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Mrs. Judith Gildharie Mursalin, noted that the incident was a horrific case in which a young child was brutally beaten to death.
The State Prosecutrix pleaded with the Court to send a strong, clear message of condemnation of the depraved act by the accused, who showed no remorse.
In rehashing the facts, she said that in August 2012, Shahid Makutnauth called ‘Buddy’, then eight-years-old, lived with his parents and five siblings at Number 68 Village, Squatting Area in Berbice.
On August 20, 2012 at about 17:00hrs, Shahid’s parents had a misunderstanding which resulted in his mother Anita Persaud consuming kerosene, and had to be taken to the Skeldon Public Hospital, leaving behind her children in the care of the eldest child, 12-year-old Alisha Feroze.
Two hours later, Ms Persaud returned home, and after not finding Shahid, subsequently made a missing person report with the police.
Thereafter, the police made contact with the convict at the village rum shop, where he informed them that he had seen the missing child the previous day and that he was hungry, and as a result, he had taken Shahid to his sister’s home, where he was given a meal, before being escorted back to the Public road.
But, when questioned, the sister of the accused Shazenna Mohammed, whilst in her brother’s presence, denied ever seeing him and Shahid at her home at any time.
According to her, following a misunderstanding with her sibling on August 18, 2012, she did not see him until three days later while he was detained by police.
On August 22, 2012, Detective Corporal Dwayne Harvey acting on certain information, proceeded to an area in a clump of bushes, about a mile off the main access road, where the motionless naked body of the child was lying in a swamp.
Government Pathologist Dr Vivikenand Brijmohan, during a post mortem examination, found that Shahid had sustained a clean cut, surgical like dissection of the skin of the anterior chest and upper abdomen with a horizontal upper border and above the nipples.
Further, there was a large lacerated wound to the fronto-parietal areas with fractures of the skull bones.
Additionally, there was an open compound fracture of the right lower forearm with the hand hanging loosely. He gave the cause of death as multiple injuries.
Following his arrest, the then accused gave a caution statement to the police, in which he claimed he saw ‘Boy’, on a street and he took him down a dam at Number 68 Village.
“I then cuff ‘Boy’, plenty times to his head and I pushed him down. I then pick up a piece of hard stick and I lash him in his head plenty time. He started to cry, and when I see blood I left.
I beat ‘Boy’ for about five minutes. I then went by my sister fence and sleep there. It was under her bottom house and she did not know. I woke up and went to Number 68 Village back street around 05:45hrs. At about 10:00hrs am, Anita collect me and take me to Springlands Police Station and I was locked up. The police told me that ‘Boy’ was dead.”

Prior to imposing the sentence, Justice Brassington addressed the prisoner: “I have listened to the summary of the facts which was not contested by the defence, the probation report, and the plea in mitigation.
“I have recognised that you are a young man, and as your lawyer asked, I ask whether there is a chance of rehabilitation. I recognise that you have had an unfortunate childhood…at a very early age, your upbringing was plagued by unfortunate incidents. You get no credit for the use of drinks and drugs and it could not be an excuse for your behaviour. This is a senseless, snuffing out of the life of a young man in the prime of his life in a brutal, heinous and unprovoked manner. Initially, having regard to the facts, and the manner of the offense, I consider 25 to 30 years. This is against the backdrop of your own age. I have discounted five years for the plea of guilt and an additional three years for time spent as a remanded prisoner. There is nothing more for your credit. Therefore, the sentence of this court is 22 years.”

By Jeune Bailey Vankeric