Judge jails Sunil Lall for 4 years
A ‘PROVOKED’ accused, Sunil Lall, who stabbed his ‘taunter’, Teekeram, of Best Village, West Coast Demerara, to death on December 19, 1998, on Thursday pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, and was jailed for 4 years.

Justice William Ramlal who imposed the lenient penalty, had taken into consideration the mitigating circumstances of the case which showed, among other things, that Teekaram (the deceased) was the aggressor that day and was the initiator of the aggression that led to the loss of life.

Last Wednesday, Sunil Lall appeared at the Demerara Assizes before a judge and jury and pleaded not guilty to the murder of Teekaram. The hearing was expected to continue on the resumption yesterday.

But on the resumption yesterday, defence counsel Mr. Jerome Khan indicated to the Court that his client wished to enter a new plea of not guilty of murder but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

At this stage and following the plea of the accused, Prosecutor Mr. Ganesh Hera narrated the facts of the case which disclosed that on the day in question, Teekaram along with his friend Albert Rameshwar were standing under a tamarind tree at Best Village, West Coast, Demerara, drinking rum.

At the same time, the accused was walking along the road going to a nearby shop to purchase kerosene when Teekeram shouted out to him saying, “Rasta, Rasta, Rasshole”.

The accused did not respond but went into the nearby shop. He did not get kerosene but he purchased a knife.

The accused was returning from the shop, when on passing the tamarind tree where Teekeram and his friend were, Teekeram again shouted out to the accused and asked: “Wha happening girl?”

Replying to Teekaram, the accused said, “Carry your mother sk..t”. Enraged by the accused’s reply, Teekeram furiously approached the accused in a fighting manner.

The accused likewise, retaliated by stabbing Teekeram, who fell unconscious, and was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital.

In a stirring plea in mitigation, defence counsel Jerome Khan said his client, now 31 years old, was only 20 when the crime was committed on December 19, 1998. He pointed out that it was the deceased by his action that day that initiated the aggression which led to the loss of life.

Khan told the court that following the P.I., the accused was committed to stand trial for manslaughter on April 5, 2000, and was allowed bail. But on January, 11, 2004, the then Deputy DPP indicted the accused with murder, causing him to be arrested and incarcerated for the offence of murder.

Khan told the judge that the prisoner is remorseful for what had happened. He now attends bible classes in prison and is being counselled by a pastor