A JUROR waiting to collect his travel allowance for the concluded October sessions of the Berbice Assizes suffered a series of convulsions, fell unconscious, and had to be assisted in his recovery by his peers and court staff. Thirty-eight-year-old Chandram Bassandram later told the Guyana Chronicle that he had never previously lost consciousness, and he attributed this misfortune to his not having had breakfast.
He said he had felt unwell, but could not recall anything else.
A colleague from the Blairmont Sugar Estate said he and Bassandram had worked together for more than ten years, and it was the first time he had witnessed Bassandram being ill.

Earlier, following the adjournment of a murder trial, several other jurors were awaiting completion of administrative duties when they saw Bassandram sliding off the bench on which he sat. Initially, those present were not fully aware of what was happening to him, until froth flowed from his mouth. Court employees hurried off to seek medication to revive him, but those around who were knowledgeable revived him within minutes.
Encouraged to seek medical attention at the New Amsterdam Hospital, Bassandram opted instead to return to his Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice home, where his workmates took him.

The man had not attended court on three previous occasions because of illness.