– 31 male prisoners still awaiting trial for murder.

THE longest serving remanded prisoner in the New Amsterdam jail, Omar Bacchus, was admitted since September 5, 2008, and has been committed for jury trial by Magistrate Chandra Sohan on December 21, 2011.

He is yet to appear at the Berbice Assizes.

At commencement of the June sessions, four prisoners — Bheem Evans, Navin Sugrim, Roy Lewis and Fazal Mohammed — had indicated a willingness to plead to the capital offence; but, in an invited comment, State Prosecutrix, Ms. Renita Singh had revealed to the Guyana Chronicle that only two of the men would be allowed to plead, as their cases are listed for hearing during the June sessions of the Berbice Assizes.

“We will have Sugrim and Mohammed brought for hearing as early as possible, but we are not in possession of the files pertaining to Evans and Lewis. Those files have to go through an administrative procedure before they are perused by the Chambers and affixed to the list,” Ms. Singh disclosed.

Mohammed’s case was consequently heard, but the prisoner had a change of heart and instead pleaded not guilty, resulting in the mixed jury failing to arrive at a decision.

Fazal Mohammed, called ‘Boy’ and ‘Mangoose’, is accused of unlawfully killing seven-year-old, Shahid ‘Buddy’ Muknauth, whose nude body was found in a clump of bushes at Number 68 Village, Corentyne.

In the meantime, Beesham Gopaul received a twelve-year sentence after he was found guilty of raping a lactating mother whom he had known since childhood.

The victim, a married teenager, recalled that she had been seated in a hammock viewing a television broadcast whilst breast feeding her three-month-old baby when she was attacked, on June 24, 2008 at Number 73 Village, Corriverton, Berbice.

She had tearfully recalled feeling something like a metal being placed to the front of her neck prior to hearing someone using expletives in telling her “Don’t move, or else I will kill you and the baby!” Thereafter, she had been sexually violated.

Another rapist, Talbert Mc Pherson, has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of raping an eight-year-old girl as she lay on a mattress at her great-grand-mother’s home at Number 30 Village, West Coast Berbice.

And alleged child abductor Bibi Hussain, called ‘Debbie’, who had been charged with abduction of a baby, has been placed on $300,000 bail after she had successfully petitioned at the Berbice Assizes.

On May 16, Hussain had allegedly visited Sandra Mc Lean at the Skeldon Hospital, where she was a patient. Subsequent visits were made at Mc Lean’s home at Number 68 Village Corentyne, where the accused offered to take the woman and the baby shopping in a bid to celebrate the child’s ninth day.

During that shopping spree, she abducted the baby, but the child was recovered days later at a home at Chesney Front, Corentyne.

Additionally, 61-year-old Roy Pestano Snr and his 37-year-old son, Raymond, will have to face a third murder trial because the twelve-member jury failed to agree on a verdict after deliberating for over three hours.

Kenrick Ramlagan, whose statement was tendered and admitted into evidence, had stated that on October 19, 2002, he and Goel Richard Ross were at a birthday party at Breezy Point Shop in Number 41 Village, West Coast Berbice when a white car pulled up.

Roy Pestano Snr and his sons Roy Jnr and Raymond exited the vehicle and proceeded into the business place, where Roy Jnr walked towards the witness and dealt him several slaps, resulting in the abused man asking “That is fa wha?”

Roy Pestano Snr then allegedly said, “Who go get juk up will get juk up, and who go get shoot up will get shoot up. Leh we kill them mother (expletive).”

During this period, Kenrick Ramlagan had managed to escape, and he fled to the home of his uncle, Joseph Alexander Ross, called ‘Bald Head’, where he saw his brother Davinand, who was coming in his direction.

Davinand was stopped by the witness, but before he could have spoken, the Pestanos, pursuing the witness in a car, ran the vehicle upon him (Davinand), but he managed to push himself off.

Roy Pestano Jnr then exited the car and slapped Kenrick, who thereafter buried his face in his hands while Raymond Pestano and his father approached the unarmed man.

The senior Pestano then allegedly held the hands of Davinand Ramlagan behind his back while Roy and Raymond Pestano withdrew knives hidden in their respective waists and started to stab Ramlagan.

When they had finished, the Senior Pestano allegedly asked them, “You all give he enough?” before the injured man was allowed to stagger into his uncle Bald Head’s yard.
The injured man was taken to Fort Wellington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

That aside, history was created at the Berbice Assizes when Naresh Ramjohn, called ‘Sadam’, was sentenced to 55 ½ years’ imprisonment for unlawfully killing ‘Scare Dem’ gang member Anthony Samaroo.

Eight witnesses testified that on July 2, 2008, Ryan Samaroo was at Overton Dam in Mount Sinai, a squatting area on the eastern fringe of the New Amsterdam township commonly referred to as Angoy’s Avenue, when he saw Naresh Ramjohn and another man throwing bottles at each other as they exited a yard while villagers and neighbours looked on.

Ryan Samaroo saw the accused, Naresh Ramjohn, grab his brother Anthony Samaroo by the back and start to beat him while Anthony Samaroo’s foot was stuck between the wooden overpass at one Joe Benn’s Bridge.

According to Ryan Samaroo, he attempted to draw closer to his sibling, but was assaulted by one ‘Joe’ and the accused, forcing him to flee.
Ryan Samaroo said he ran to his home, a short distance away, from where he returned to the scene with his mother. Together they saw Anthony Samaroo lying on the ground bleeding profusely.

Anthony Samaroo was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where, despite hours of medical intervention, he succumbed.

Another witness had related that he had seen the accused armed with a spear on the day of the incident.

Government Pathologist, Dr. Vivikanand Brijmohan revealed that the cause of Anthony Samaroo’s death was shock and haemorrhage due to stab wounds which caused his lungs to collapse.

No weapon was tendered into evidence.
Meanwhile, at the closure of the June sessions, which was presided over by Justices Brassington Reynolds and Navindra Singh, Superintendent of Prisons and Officer in Charge of the New Amsterdam Prisons, Linden Cornette, in presenting the goal delivery, said 37 inmates were awaiting early trial at the next Assizes. Of that amount, 31 are listed for murder, and four have indicated a willingness to plead to their respective indictments.

Apart from those listed for the capital offence, three are committed for sexual penetration, while one each are listed for carnal knowledge, unlawful wounding, and possession of firearm without a licence.

The October Criminal session is expected to be opened with the traditional Ceremonial March Past on October 21, and Justice James Bovell-Drakes is expected to preside at that session.

(Jeune Bailey Vankeric)