JUSTICE James Bovell-Drakes, presiding in the Ganesh Narine murder trial, will sum up the evidence to the jury on Wednesday, before handing over the case to them for their consideration and verdict in relation to the accused.But Armanda, daughter of the accused and lone eye witness to the act, who had testified at the preliminary inquiry, could not be contacted for the jury trial. Nevertheless, prosecutrix Miss Dhanika Singh was able, under Section 95, to get permission of the court to tender the missing witness’s deposition under the heading of missing witness.

Represented by Attorney-at-law Miss Latchmie Rahamat, Narine had pleaded not guilty to having murdered his wife. Armanda’s deposition which was read by the legal clerk of the magistrate who did the P.I. showed that the girl had testified that she was at home with her mother and her two children that day when the accused, Narine, turned up in a drunken state. He then lit a fireside and decided to cook. He requested fish from the fridge, collected a kitchen knife, and was in the process of cutting up seasoning and onions when he began cursing his wife.

During the cursing, he attacked his wife with the knife, Armanda said, thereby inflicting a wound under her left breast, which caused her to fall to the ground. She later died in hospital.

Both defence counsel Miss Rahamat and prosecutrix Miss Singh have already addressed the jury on the evidence.

The judge told the jury, “You have heard the summation from both sides. Keep an open mind until you hear me on Wednesday, 2nd October, at 09.30 a.m.”