– following judge’s rejection of alleged confession statement
MURDER accused Shawn Richardson, called ‘Jungle Commando’, who was charged with the murder  of taxi-driver Vivikanand  Nandalall after he had confessed to the cops about the role he had played in  the kidnapping, demanding of ransom and killing of Nandalall, was freed yesterday on the directions of the  trial judge.

Objecting to making the incriminating statement, the accused claimed that he was beaten all over his body and under his feet with a round piece of wood before  he was ordered to sign  at certain  places on a document.
“I do not know what was written on the document, but I was ordered  to sign, and I did so because of blows I received,” the accused said.

“After this statement,  they charged me, leaving  me in so much pain that I had to be helped away by two police officers.  On my arrival at the Georgetown Prison,  still limping, I told the prison authorities that I was beaten by the police and was subjected to a thorough medical examination.
“The nurse who examined  me found, among other things, a bleeding wound under one of my feet which could have been inflicted  with a nail or an icepick,” the accused stated.

The accused  at the voir dire (a trial within a trial),  had given sworn testimony on oath.
His evidence was supported by the nurse who testified about the injuries she found  including the bleeding wound underneath the foot that she recorded  during the examination.

At the ruling yesterday,  presiding judge Miss Dawn Gregory  said she was left  in reasonable doubt,  in relation to the claim  by the accused of being beaten by the police in order to make a statement  which they wanted.

Therefore, she had no alternative than to  give the accused the benefit of the doubt.

The  statement, which was the  subject of a voir dire to determine its admissibility, was found inadmissible and was rejected.

Following the ruling that the confession statement was rejected, leading prosecutor Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin, in association with lawyer Miss Konyo Sandiford,  noted  that there was no other evidence  against the accused.
And as such she closed her case at that stage.

That being the case, defence counsel  Mrs. Clarissa Riehl,  submitted that there was no case for the accused to answer, a submission which the judge agreed with and directed the mixed jury to return a verdict  of ‘not guilty’ of murder in favour of the accused.