Medical expert supports claim that bullet found was not fired by AK 47 rifle
WHEN   the defence in the Non Pariel/Robbery murder trial continued yesterday before  Justice Winston Patterson and a mixed jury at the Demerara Assizes, defence counsel Lyndon Amsterdam, who was denying the prosecution’s claim that the victim was shot with an AK 47 assault rifle stolen from the Guyana Defence Force, called a medical expert to prove his point.
The expert in surgery and gunshot injuries, Dr. Dalgeish Joseph. told the judge and jury about his experience in dealing with  gunshot injuries  adding  that because  of  the high velocity of the AK 47 assault rifles, he would not expect a shot fired  at a distance, between six and eight feet, from such a rifle, aimed at the arm of the victim, is  likely to be found in the muscles or tissues of the victim.
Last week, after Justice Winston Patterson overruled  a defence no-case submission in the Non Pariel Robbery/murder at the Demerara Assizes and  called on the accused Cyon Collier, called ‘Picture Boy’ for a defence , the accused began  his defence by making  an unsworn statement from the dock.
Yesterday morning, the accused, represented by Attorney-at-law, Mr. Lyndon Amsterdam, called his lone witness in the person of Dr. Joseph to testify for the defence,
Following Dr. Joseph’s testimony, defence counsel began addressing the jury,  giving  them  reasons why his client should be acquitted.
His address is expected to be followed by the lead prosecutor, Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin, in association with Mrs.Teshana James-Lake, who also will address the jury, urging them to return a verdict in accordance with the evidence and the oath they had taken.
The accused, Collier, attired in suit, is facing trial for the murder of Chandrapaul Persaud, called ‘Kero Man’, a businessman of Non  Pariel, East Coast, Demerara, who was shot and killed in a robbery/murder bid, on the night of September 30, 2006.
An eye witness said that the accused was one of three armed masked robbers who entered Persaud’s  business premises, attacked and robbed his wife Nazeema Isshack, of over $2.5M in cash and jewellery, and later shot her husband  to death.
The accused was charged with the murder of Persaud after he was picked out at a police Identification Parade by Persaud’s wife.
But Collier has pleaded not guilty, and is alleging that the confession statement attributed to him was a figment of police’s imagination.
However, Judge Patterson, who conducted a voir dire (a trial within a trial) to determine the issue of admissibility, found  that  the caution statement was given to the police freely  and voluntarily.
In his unsworn statement from the dock, accused Collier said:
“Your Honour, I am innocent of this charge.  I never robbed anybody at Non Pariel. I was not there, as I told the Police. I was in Linden on the 30th  September, 2006.
“I only came to the house at Bachelor’s  Adventure on the night before the police arrested me.  I did not know of any gun at this house and that is why I opened the door for the police.
“I was immediately restrained with handcuffs then placed on the ground face down. I never led ASP Kingston or any other rank  to the bedroom.   While on the ground, I heard a banging on the door. I was  placed on an ID parade with persons from the Brickdam lock-up.   I was never picked out at that  parade by anyone.   Thank you.  That is all.”