ELEVEN-year-old school girl Jada Welch yesterday told the judge and jury in the Shawn Sooklall murder trial, how she was awakened by a tumbling noise one night in time  to see accused  Sooklall, with an apparently blood-stained  knife, standing not far from her crouched mother Tricia Welch who was bleeding from wounds. The girl was giving evidence for the prosecution at a trial  in which accused Shawn Sooklall  is indicted  for the murder of her mother Tricia Welch, 39, on July, 17, 2006, at  Soufriere  Street, North Ruimveldt.
Before testifying, the girl was subjected to questions by the judge to ascertain whether she  knew and understood the nature of the oath.
As a consequence, Justice Roxanne George found her to be competent to give evidence and directed that she give evidence on oath.
Jada Welch testified that she was about  seven, in 2006, when she lived with  her mother  Tricia Welch , on Soufriere Street, North Ruimveldt.
At the time her mother occupied the bottom  flat of a two-flat building, and she did not know where her father was living. 
She recalled that her mother was friendly with a man named uncle Shawn, who lived in Berbice, and would visit the mother from time to time while  she and the mother would sometimes visit  uncle Shawn in Berbice.
The girl recalled  that day in July, 2006, when she and the mother, along with Auntie Annette, left North Ruimveldt for the Berbice bus park, to pick up Uncle Shawn.
Shawn she said was not her uncle, but  she called him so because of respect.
The girl also told the judge and jury that the driver of the taxi who took them to the park to pick up uncle  Shawn  was also a friend of  her mother.
The girl added, “I had known Uncle Shawn for a very long time.  He was my mother’s friend.”
Continuing her evidence, the girl said that when they picked up uncle Shawn,  he entered the car without even greeting any of them .  Instead he placed his hands on his mouth.       Aunty Annette at this stage told Shawn good evening, but he did not answer.
On arrival at home, everybody in the car entered the building.   Witness said that she was sent to her mother’s bedroom to sleep.
She said that during the course of the night she was aroused by a noise.  When  she  left the bedroom to investigate,  she saw  uncle Shawn  with a  10-inch knife in his hand with what appeared to be blood stains.  He was standing not far from her mother who was in a crouched position with what appeared to be blood stains on her body.
She went back to the room where Shawn approached her with a bloodstained knife which he placed to her neck and demanded one of her mother’s pants.  Witness refused, on the ground that her mother would be angry if she did that.
At this stage witness said that when   neighbours woke her the next morning, the police were on the scene.
Prosecutors Miss Konyo  Sandiford  and Ms. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin said yesterday that they are hoping to prove the case  by means of circumstantial evidence.
When the hearing continues this morning, defence counsel Mr. Mursalene Bacchus will begin his cross-examination.