West Demerara  murder  trial…
HUSBAND, Dilip Lambert, who was charged with attempted murder of his wife Pearline Cunja after he allegedly  threw a lighted kerosene stove on her, in 2007, is contending that the woman who subsequently died was burnt accidentally. And today, trial judge, Madame Justice Roxanne George will conduct a ‘voir dire’ (trial within a trial) to determine whether the evidence of  two witnesses relating to the incident was part of the ‘res jestai’ (what actually transpired).
One witness,  Mansoor Ali, of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara,  said the accused and others were at a ‘wake house’ on the night of October 21, 2007,  when the small daughter of the accused ran to the wake-house and complained to the father that her mother had beaten her.  The accused left the wake house.
According to Mansoor,  shortly afterwards he was attracted by a  scream and,  looking  in the direction  next door, he saw  the wife of the accused – Pearline  Cunja – was transformed to a human torch and was coming through her door.
The witness said he  ran to the house where the woman  told him  that the accused had thrown a lighted stove at her.
The woman  had her  garments, which were in flames, cut off from her and she was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. She was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she died from burns received.
Nobody saw the accused  throwing the stove on the woman, but the Prosecutor, Miss Rhondel Weever,  assured the jury that she would lead evidence to prove that the accused did set his now deceased wife on  fire and that when he did so, he intended to kill her or to cause her grievous bodily harm.
On the other hand, defence counsel Mr. Peter Hugh, during his cross-examination of the prosecutions’ witnesses, suggested that  the woman was cooking when the stove accidentally flared up,  thereby setting ablaze the garments of the woman.
He has also suggested that the accused said this in his statement to the Police investigator, Mohanram Dolai, who took no step to verify what the accused had said.
Dolai said to the judge and jury that the accused had told him about the faulty stove which had flared up setting his wife  afire, and burnt him on the lower arm when he attempted to put out the fire.
Dolai admitted that he had taken the accused to the hospital for medical attention in relation to the burns he had received.
Witness said he had questioned the woman as to how she received the injuries.  He even took a statement from her. Further, he learnt that Pearline Cunja died on the 10th November, 2007 at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
As a result of that information, witness contacted the accused in the presence of  Police Cpl. Fraser and told him about the allegation that on the 21 October, 2007  he had burnt  his wife  Cunja  which resulted in her death.
The accused was originally charged with attempted murder.