MURDER accused Deodat Sookhoo, 41, whose trial at the Berbice Assizes had hit a snag because of an inherited hearing impediment, has committed suicide, according to prison officials.

A release, from the Prison Administration, said he was found in his cell hanging from a bed sheet in an apparent suicide in the Main Prison Block at the New Amsterdam Prison, at approximately 15:45 hrs last Saturday.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the prisoner, who is usually in the Remanded Prisoners Dining Hall during the day, was taken from there and locked alone in his cell on the number three landing of the main Prison Block.
When the rank responsible for lock-down duties returned to the cell with Sookhoo’s two other cell mates, his lifeless body was found hanging from the ventilation above the door.
The police were immediately informed and an investigation started.
Sookhoo was admitted to the prison on 2007-11-01, charged with murder and was committed to stand jury trial on 2010-12-13.
The Prison Administration extended sympathy to the family of the deceased and awaits the conclusion of the police investigations.

ADJOURNED
On February 7, 2008, the case of Sookhoo called ‘Sham’ was called but adjourned because the accused was unable to hear Justice Brassington Reynolds, who had, earlier, been informed of the prisoner’s hearing problem.
After much questioning by the judge and attorney-at- law Mr. Ramesh Rajkumar, Sookhoo explained that his incapacity was an inheritance from his father who suffered similarly.
Consequently, the case, then the first for the February Criminal Sessions was postponed for a week, when the services of a medical practitioner or a specially trained person was to be engaged.
However, the proceedings were never resumed at the assizes and Sookhoo, of Bloomfield, Corentyne, has been in prison ever since. Although he is indicted for the murder of his friend, Naipaul Narsingh, allegedly, committed between October 27and 28, 2007, the indictment was never read to him because of his alleged disability.
The alleged killing stemmed from an argument between the two men, after it was revealed that the wife of the accused was shown pornographic materials.