-pays $1.2 M compensation to 14-year old  step-daughter
THIRTY- six year old convicted killer Shawn Sooklall on Friday was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the unlawful killing of his lover Tricia Welch, whom he knifed to death because of jealousy. But through his counsel Mr. Mursalene Bacchus, the accused elected to pay to the court $1.2M compensation to the dead woman’s daughter, Jada Welch.
Justice Roxanne George who accepted the $1.2M cheque ordered that it be paid over to the Registrar of the Supreme Court who will distribute certain sums to the guardian of the child, Rita Naraine, at certain intervals.
The unlawful killing took place at Soufriere Street, North Ruimveldt on July 17, 2006.
He was originally charged with the capital offence of murder to which he had pleaded not guilty, but midway in the trial he offered to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter which was accepted by the Prosecutors, Ms. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin and Ms. Konyo Sandiford on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
In keeping with a recent murder amendment the penalty for manslaughter in cases of this kind ranges between 15 and 20 years, depending on the discretion of the judge.                
Sooklall, who went on trial for murder, had changed his plea from not guilty of murder to guilty of manslaughter after 10 witnesses for the prosecution had testified.
A post mortem revealed that the woman was savagely chopped about the body – one of the 16 wounds slitting the throat from side to side.
But on June 18, after the dramatic change of plea by the accused at the advice of his counsel, Mr. Murseline Bacchus, Justice George requested a probation report on the prisoner and decided to receive the report at the same time of the plea in mitigation…
Kenneth Nunes, the Senior Probation and Social Services Officer, among other things, said in his report that the accused had attempted to exonerate himself, laying blame on someone else. He has shown little remorse.
The convict was brought up by both parents and spent most of his life on the West Coast of Berbice. He was allowed to leave school at an early age which contributed immensely to his inability to adequately read and write. Hence, he made poor choices in life which have not only affected himself, but his family and the family of the deceased. This is a brutal and heinous crime and society should not condone such evil, the Probation Officer had said.
In his plea in mitigation, Mr. Bacchus told the judge that the accused was a first offender who had thrown himself at the mercy of the court. He asked the judge to consider the Criminal Law (Offences) (Amendment) Act of 2010 and use the lesser sentence term as a starting point, and not the higher scale.
On Friday, defence counsel said that the accused had loved Tricia and used to provide for her and her small daughter. But complained that he lost his self control when he realized that after all he had done, the woman was nevertheless entertaining a man in the home.

The question of compensation had come up when the judge noted that the Probation Report was not  favourable to the accused, and asked Mr. Bacchus to find out whether compensation is possible; having regard to the fact that a child is involved and that he treated her kindly and provided for the home  including her educational needs.
As a consequence, Mr. Bacchus consulted the prisoner and came up with the $1.2M offer on Friday.
The prisoner’s 11-year old step daughter Bata, and her aunt and guardian Rita Narine were present in court on the final day.