JUSTICE Navindra Singh yesterday overruled defence no-case submissions in the Lusignan murder trial and called on the 27-year-old accused Ramchand Persaud, called ‘Boyo’ or ‘Hunter’, for a defence.

At the close of the prosecution’s case, defence counsel, Latchmie Rahamat had called on the judge to find that the prosecution had failed to make out a case against the accused and that he should be freed at that stage without being called upon for a defence.
The matter was discussed in a voir dire (a trial within a trial) in the absence of the jury.
At the end of the small trial, the judge ruled against the defence and directed that the jury should decide the case.
Defence counsel, Latchmie Rahamat and lead prosecutor, Renita Singh will make their final addresses to the jury today.
Both the defence and the prosecution are adhering to an oral and written confession by the accused.
The defence is relying on that aspect of the confession where the accused Ramchand Persaud, called ‘Boyo’, claimed that he ran home after delivering one blow in self-defence to Victor Anthony Persaud, called ‘Toney’.
On the other hand, the defence is alleging that the  prosecution, without negating the defence according to law, is concluding that since the  doctor found more than one injury in his post- mortem, then it was right to find that the accused was the person who inflicted the other injuries, including the injury to the skull which caused death.
Between the 12th and 13th   of April 2009 the accused is alleged  to have murdered Victor Anthony Persaud, called ‘Toney’, 53.
Ramchand is saying that on 12th April 2009 at about 11.30 pm,   he was going home from a wedding at Cove and John. While walking through a street, he said that the deceased ran from a dark corner with a piece of upraised wood and approached him saying, “Give me everything you have in your pocket.”
Ramchand said that he rejected the instructions of the deceased who fired a lash at him with the piece of wood. Ramchand added, “I barred the blow and scrambled the wood. I struck the accused on his head, dropped the wood, and ran away.”
Ramchand said that he did not know that Toney had died until the police informed him the next day.
Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh yesterday told the jury about finding multiple blood traumas to the head of the deceased, one of which could have caused death.
The doctor looked at a piece of wood, and exhibited in the court, and said it could have been the murder weapon. The trial is continuing.