TWENTY-four-year-old Mahadeo Seewah, called “Rocky”, a labourer who had unlawfully killed 53-year-old Security Guard Banand Persaud after stealing articles and knowing that the guard had recognised him, was yesterday jailed for 10 years for manslaughter. Justice Diana Insanally had in mind sentencing Seewah to 20 years imprisonment, but the convict luckily got half that sentence removed because of mitigating circumstances and a probation report which showed that he was a young offender when the crime had been committed.

After confessing to the police that he had killed  Banand Persaud of the Fresh Water Aquaculture Farm and Demonstration Centre at Mon Repos, ECD on Monday, April 23, 2007, Rocky, who had admitted to stealing a  generator and a battery charger from the Admin. Building, disclosed that he had not intended to kill the guard, but had been forced to so do because the guard had known whom he was.

In presenting the facts to the court, Prosecutor Miss Diana Kaulesar told how ‘Rocky’ had ridden to the fish farm that night with a pair of pliers, intending to steal the generator because his home did not have electricity.

When he arrived at the plant, he found the guard asleep on a table. He broke the louvre panes and lashed the guard on his head with a piece of wood.

The guard awoke and ordered him out of the place, whilst picking up his (guard’s) bicycle and walking out of the compound. Rocky walked behind the guard and struck him with a stick on the head and body. He then threw the guard in a trench, but later pulled him out of the water.     

Rocky had then returned inside of the compound and used his pliers to break off the padlock on the front door of the building. He had then entered the office and had gone into the storeroom, where he saw a red and white generator and charger, which he stole and hid in the bushes because he could not ride out with them.

As he was riding home, he was stopped by two police officers in a patrol car, who asked him where he was coming from, and he told them he had gone to a wedding house in the area.    

The following day he was arrested, and learnt that the guard had died. He claimed he had not intended to kill the guard, but had to do so because the guard had known him.

A post-mortem revealed that the guard had died from cerebral haemorrhage due to a fractured skull.