CONVICTED wife killer, Eric Sookshine alias Shakaal, age 35, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, by Justice Brassington Reynolds, following a probation report and mitigation plea by Senior Counsel Marcel Crawford at the Berbice Assizes. Last week, the convict ’threw in the towel’ moments after State Prosecutor Dionne Mc Cammon indicated to the judge that she may make an application under  Section 95 of the Criminal Law Offences Act in relation to the tendering of a statement of  one of the children of the accused.
Following consultations with his attorney, the man in the dock pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, which was accepted by the state.
Probation Officer Mitford Warde in a report which was favourable to the defence, revealed that the prisoner, the fifth of six children attended the Auchlyne Primary school where he dropped out at Form Four, without writing any examinations.
Having no formal training he worked as a labourer at a rice mill and subsequently secured employment with the Guyana Sugar Corporation, where for the last ten years worked as a cane harvester.
At age 25, he got married according to Hindu religious rites to Jashorda Permaul called Usha and together they produced three children, now ages twelve, nine, and seven.
The Officer told the judge that information received from investigations conducted pertaining to the offender’s character was overwhelming in his favour, as he was highly commended for his industriousness and his relationship with residents of Whim in which he lived. He was described as a law abiding citizen who was afraid of the police.
Referring to the offender’s relationship with his wife, Ward revealed that the couple lived for ten years, a greater part of those years were referred to as being good.
Together the couple acquired a property furnished with most of the necessities for comfortable living.
However, investigations found that the latter years of Sookshine’s relationship with his wife were filled with turmoil. There were allegations of unfaithfulness on his wife’s part, and he was accused of being abusive to his wife, forcing her to leave their home and return to her mother’s home on some occasions. The intervention of the Probation and Social Services Department was also sought to assist them in resolving their differences.
The Probation Officer indicated that the killer expressed remorse for his actions, relating that he feels very much sorry that he has deprived his children of their mother, while he is now incarcerated.
Ward concluded that Sookshine was seemingly overwhelmed by his perception of his wife’s unfaithfulness; he adopted this evil course of action which is very much contrary to his upbringing.
He owes a debt to society, which he must pay, remarked the Officer.
In his plea of mitigation, Senior Counsel Crawford said his client had intended to live an honourable life with a partner who would go through life until the end of time.
‘He waited until he was 25 years old, “Your Honour.”
Referring to evidence within the trial, the Defence Counsel noted that the deceased was unfaithful, as her partner of infidelity, Mark Bangroo, said, he took her out to a hotel in New Amsterdam, in April 2005.
‘From that relationship, the post mortem examination found that the now deceased was six weeks pregnant. That was not for my client.’
‘Your Honour, here is a man who worked honestly, not knowing that his wife was betraying his trust.’
The lawyer urged the judge to use his experience, to understand how cane harvesters would, ‘molest and tantalise their workmates whose spouse was being unfaithful’.
Crawford reminded the court of the statement of the eldest child Meena, who revealed that her mother would send her to call Bangroo when needs arise.
The Attorney-at- Law further stated that the child saw her mother and her lover in the former matrimonial bed, as he fed the now deceased woman with chocolates.
According to Crawford, on the day of the incident, Mark Bangroo, who is a relative of the man in the dock, was sent for, and whilst seated with Sookshine, the deceased informed her husband that she did not love him, but Bangroo, instead, a remark which triggered the incident.
‘Please Sir; let the hammer of mercy fall leniently. He could not take it anymore’, concluded his Counsel.
Addressing the prisoner, Justice Brassington Reynolds said, ‘It is clear to me from the facts, that you clearly succumbed to the passion provoked by your martial circumstances. Your wife’s behavior in your marriage was not anywhere near to what it ought to be, but, that is one side of the story. We may never know the other side. People do things for many reasons.’
‘My regret is, that I am not allowed to pass sentence on the third party, be it neighbour, relative or friend, who betrayed your trust. However, not only did you take that law into your hands, but you fail to take into consideration the welfare of your children. I have considered your age, state of contrition, remorse, perspective shared by Senior Counsel, the fact that you adopted this course of not wasting the court’s time, and that you have been incarcerated for five years .I sentence you to eight years imprisonment.’
The prisoner, who seemed satisfied with the sentence, was quickly taken out of the courthouse by prison officials.
Jashorda Sookshine was found motionless on her kitchen floor with her clothing having what appeared to be blood stains, on June 2, 2005.
A cutlass, believed to be the murder weapon was found a short distance from the body. Government Pathologist Dr Vivikanand Brijmohan, who examined the body, recorded the cause of death as shock and haemorrhage, along with stab wounds to the heart.