Son of murdered man tells jury of ordeal on night of robbery
BUSINESSMAN Ragendra Singh, whose father Rambarran Singh was allegedly murdered when robbers attacked his Mahaicony business premises in 2006, yesterday related to Justice Dawn Gregory and the jury how he and his father were beaten and robbed of $8,000 in cash and $2.5M in gold jewellery. According to Ragendra, he and his father battled against the robbers, but were overpowered by the bandits. He described the bandits as one fair-skinned ‘negro’ boy, one dark-skinned ‘negro’ boy and one Amerindian boy.
Well-dressed, bespectacled accused Keith Doris is facing trial for the murder of Rambarran Singh on the basis of a confession statement which he allegedly gave to the police. Justice Dawn Gregory found the statement to be obtained freely and voluntarily as a result of a voir dire (a trial within a trial).

Doris has pleaded not guilty to the crime, and is being defended by Attorney-at-Law Mr. George Thomas.
The prosecution is being conducted by State Counsel Miss Prithima Kissoon, in association with Miss Kony Sandiford.

Businessman Ragendra Singh, of Lot 26 Good Faith, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, testified that he and his father Rambarran Singh had lived together.
They had operated a restaurant, beer garden and grocery at their place of residence.
He recalled that, on November 23, 2006, two customers entered the restaurant – a fair-skinned negro boy and a dark-skinned girl.
“They ordered a Banks malta and a Fruta orange juice. They paid me and they went and sit in front of the shop.
“About five minutes after, the fair-skinned negro boy came back to me and asked for two cigarettes and two cough drop mints. I sold him, and he went outside and sat at the table with the girl. About ten to fifteen minutes later, I went outside and told my father something…
“I went back to the liquor restaurant to get the keys to open three cycles which were displayed in front of the bar gate section.
“Before I came out of the liquor restaurant, I saw a negro boy and an Amerindian boy approaching me. The negro boy had a ¼ bottle Duck Curry rum and (he) asked me for two glasses and a bottle of water. I refused, because the rum was not purchased from my restaurant…They left and went to the road. I later saw the negro boy and the Amerindian boy sitting on the base of a lamp post.
“When I passed the girl and the boy who were sitting there (at the table outside), I saw the girl speaking on a cell phone. Later, the fair-skinned negro boy came back to purchase two cigarettes from me. I went outside where my father was sitting at the next entrance leading to the beer garden and grocery.  The fair-skinned negro boy approached me again and said he wanted a Banks beer to take away. I told him that I only sell Carib beer…He bought a Carib beer and went outside. I went back into the restaurant Bar. I opened the door, and when I went to close it, I felt someone bracing the door…
“They came into the liquor restaurant bar — the fair-skinned negro boy (was) armed with a small hand gun, and (he) told me that he wanted all the gold and money. I later saw the Amerindian boy walking behind my father.  All of us were in the liquor restaurant.
“The fair-skinned negro boy and the dark-skinned negro boy started to beat me, demanding gold and money, and (they) began ransacking the premises.
“The Amerindian boy took my father upstairs.   They beat me for about 10 minutes downstairs. When I managed to escape from the robbers, I saw the Amerindian boy and my father were fighting in a bedroom. The Amerindian boy was trying to take away my father’s 12-gauge shotgun. The Amerindian boy succeeded in getting the gun from my father.
“I tried to take away the gun from the Amerindian boy, but I was unsuccessful.
“They dragged me down the stairs, demanding money and jewellery in the process.
“I was overcome by the blows, so much so that I was forced to show them where (to find) the key for the chest that contained the gold and money…The fair-skinned negro man collected the key from the table, and collected the valuables that were in the chest — $8,000 in cash and $2.5 million in  gold jewellery.   They also moved away with a cell phone.
“About five to 10 minutes later, when I catch back myself, I went out on the road shouting for help, and I heard a gunshot fired.
“When I returned to the premises, the chest was open and the money and gold were missing. All the documents in the chest were scattered about on the floor of the kitchen.
“Later, when I went upstairs, I saw my father lying motionless. He was dead.”
Ragendra said that he had to be taken to the hospital for medical attention, but when they took his father to the hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The trial is continuing.