– Justice Ramlal to impose sentence tomorrow
THE first plea bargaining in a murder case since the Act was introduced will take effect tomorrow when Justice William Ramlal passes sentence on murder accused, Dawan Kawal who has offered to plead guilty to manslaughter. The accused, who has already spent four years in prison, is bargaining for a five-year  sentence, and has  promised to give evidence against the ‘Number Two Accused’ in the matter.
The plea-bargain letter which defence counsel Mr. Peter Hugh had sent to Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack, Director of Public Prosecutions, read:
“Re: Plea Bargain, Daywan Kawal
“As regards the above caption, I am retained by Dawan Kawal. I write in the hope of making a plea agreement under Section 9 of the Criminal Procedure (Plea Bargaining and Plea Arrangement) Act of 2008.
“My client is jointly charged with Bert Lancaster for the offence of murder. I am instructed that my client is willing to plead guilty to the offence of manslaughter, and serve a five-year sentence with respect to the said charge.
“I am further instructed that my client is willing to give evidence against Bert Lancaster.  For your kind consideration.  Peter Hugh.”
The Prosecutor, Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin, declared that the accused and another man had hired the car of the deceased to take them somewhere up the Linden-Soesdyke Highway on April 19, 2006 for $1500.
The father of the deceased, Deonarine Sukhdeo, said his son had left home on the day in question for Timehri Airport, and never returned.   Subsequently, his son’s partly decomposed body was identified in the bushes along the highway.
The accused, who confessed to the crime, had taken the police to his home where documents and certain articles stolen from the car, including the drivers licence, were handed over to the lawmen.
At a post mortem examination, it was revealed that the deceased had died from multiple knife wounds.
The bespectacled accused told the court that he had read the bargain agreement and fully understood the contents.
The accused, who is in custody, will be brought back to court tomorrow morning for sentence.
Attired in a tie that matched his shirt, the accused was taken away Friday to the Georgetown Prisons.