–to face trial for murder of Kaieteur News’ employees
UNSATISFACTORY identification evidence of a 16-year-old girl, whose description of a murder accused rested on the words “a tall dark man” and “a short brown man” resulted in murder accused Dwight Da Silva being freed on a no-case submission Thursday. Da Silva was on trial for the murder of Barbot Paul, committed on August 6, 2006 when he and other gunmen allegedly entered Paul’s Kaneville business premises at Grove, East Bank, Demerara and killed Barbot Paul in a robbery bid.
Barbot’s wife, Latifan, who had seen the shooting, did not identify the gunman, but her granddaughter, Nazeema Persaud, who at first gave the impression that she had identified the accused as a person she used to see when she visited her mother at Glasgow, East Bank Berbice, told the jury that the only information she had about the man was “that one was “tall and dark” and the other was “short and brown”. Those statistics fitted a number of persons, including defence counsel and two members of the jury, the girl explained under cross-examination.
The accused who was represented by Attorney-at-Law George Thomas, pleaded not guilty to the crime.
State lawyers Miss Renita Singh and Miss Konyo Sandiford represented the prosecution.
At the close of the prosecution’s case yesterday, defence counsel made a no-case submission in the absence of the jury. Among other things he submitted to Justice Roxanne George, presiding, was that there was no case for his client to answer; and he pointed out that the main witness, Nazeema Persaud, had been discredited and was unreliable, and he suggested that his client should be freed at this stage without calling on him for a defence.
Thomas cited a number of cases in support of his contention; and the judge, agreeing with him, directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.
The accused Dwight Da Silva was discharged by the judge, who was told by the prosecutor that the accused had to face another trial for the Kaieteur News employees’ murder, which is likely to come up at the next session.
So, instead of going home, Dwight Da Silva was taken back to prison to face other charges allegedly hanging over his head.