AS THE July 24, 2008 murder trial continues in the High Court before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and a 12-member jury, the wife of the deceased yesterday testified via Skype.

Bibi Rameena Hydar Alli told the court that she clearly remembered the day her husband was shot and killed during an armed robbery in front of King Solomon on Brickdam.

The woman said that they had encashed a cheque after leaving their East Coast Demerara home and was going to do business when she observed a man walking towards her after she had crossed the road prior to exiting the car.

Alli stated that her husband was walking in front and she was behind carrying a Diesel bag containing the cash when the man braced a gun to her chest and relieved her of the bag.

At that point, Alli told the court that as the bandit was leaving, her husband looked back and was walking towards her, shouting at the suspect to stop. He was then shot.

Alli said she was in shock and could not scream for help but she became aware that her husband was shot when he was near her.

She told the court that she had a good look at the suspect (gunman) as such she was able to point him out during an identification parade held by the police after the incident.

Under cross examination by Defence Counsel Nigel Hughes yesterday, Alli said she saw the suspects’ face when he was in front of her and was told that he was part of the line-up at the identification parade hosted by the police.

Meanwhile, the accused Rondell Bacchus elected to give an unsworn statement from the prisoner’s box when asked to lead his defence yesterday.

He told the court that he was nowhere near the crime scene that day when it took place, but was walking along Church Street when he heard gunshots and he looked behind him and saw police firing at him without saying anything.

Bacchus stated that he did what anyone would do, that is, “run for his life” after he was shot. According to him, a few weeks after the police came to his house and arrested him, after which he was taken to GPHC for medical attention.

He told the court he was placed in the lockups and later passed through court charged for murder, a crime he said he was innocent of.

Both the defence and prosecution made their closing submissions yesterday afternoon.

Defence Counsel Nigel Hughes’ submission was based on mistaken identity on the part of the wife of the deceased in pointing out his client in a line-in during an identification parade.

He told the court that the only description the woman had of the suspect was that he was about five feet, nine inches tall and of African descent and that she did not even have a distinguishing mark or any more descriptive detail as to the identity of the man.

Hughes added that the wife of the victim admitted during her testimony that she only saw the man from behind and from some distance away.

He said that the police manufactured a story, arrested the accused and came up with a weapon that is issued to police, which conveniently matched the bullet that killed Akbar Alli and had the serial number filed off, Hughes said.

He stated that there were no police witnesses, although 14 ranks were part of the operation, which was led by policeman Prem Narine and the shooting of the accused and a chase which ended at Globe Yard, Waterloo Street.

Representing the state was Tuanna Hardy, who reminded the jury of their role in examining the evidence presented in court and they presented witnesses that related a story of how Akbar Alli was killed and they were certain it was the accused that committed the crime.

She pointed out that the accused was also known to the police and acting on information received he was arrested and picked out in an identification parade by the wife of the deceased.

Bacchus of ‘C’ Field, Sophia Squatting Area, is indicted for the murder of scrap metal dealer Akbar Alli, whom he allegedly gunned downed during a robbery at Brickdam, Georgetown, on July 24, 2008.

On the same occasion, Bacchus is alleged to have used a handgun to rob the man’s wife, Rameena Bibi Hydar Alli of $2.M in cash.

In 2015, during his trial before Justice Navindra Singh, Mrs. Alli, who currently resides in United States of America, testified via audiovisual link, (Skype) that she had positively identified Bacchus at an identification parade in Georgetown sometime after the shooting.

However, some members of the jury were apparently in doubt about the evidence which was presented before the court, thus the trial ended in a hung jury.

It is alleged that on July 24 on Brickdam, Andrew Morris, 34, of 263 East La Penitence, and Bacchus used a gun to rob Bibi Hydar Alli of $2.1M and also murdered her husband Akbar Alli.

Andrew Morris was also charged in connection with the robbery/murder, but the matter against him was dismissed as a result of the lack of evidence in the Magistrate’s Court.

The case continues today for the Judge to sum up.