AFTER a month long hearing, the Black Bush murder trial concluded with Satrohan Mannar, called Andrew, being sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. The jury returned the unanimous verdict within 25 minutes after retiring.

Mannaru, 23, fatally stabbed his 14-year-old ex-girlfriend Indranie Basdeo, alias Cynthia, during school sports at Mibicuri Secondary School Ground, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, on October 7, 2011.
In her summary, the judge advised the jury that, as they consider the caution statement attributed to the convict, they must ask themselves whether it was of his own statement, or the words of the police who dictated the document.

The jury was reminded to consider the four elements which constituted the offence of murder, in that Indranie Basdeo died within a year and a day of receiving the injuries, the injuries were inflicted by the accused, the accused acted unlawfully, and that when the accused inflicted the injury, the intention was to kill or to cause serious injury.
“The defense is saying that the caution statement was not free and voluntary. They are saying that the police tricked the accused into signing the statement on a promise that he will be released to go to the hospital to see Basdeo”.
Rehashing the case for the defence, it was stated that Mannaru was acting in self defence when Basdeo was killed.
The now convicted man’s case was that he was scared when he saw his girlfriend’s brother-in- law, Reddi, running towards him, and as a result he pulled out the knife to protect himself.
However, the twelve member jury did not believe his story.
An eye witness, Chandinie Narine, 12, who currently lives in Suriname with her mother, who was deemed competent to give sworn evidence by presiding Judge Dawn Gregory, recalled to the mixed jury that she was in company with her now deceased cousin, Indranie Basdeo, when she saw the accused ‘come out from behind a boy’.
‘We were going to the school sports. He [ the accused ]asked my cousin where she was going and my cousin replied that she did not come to see him, but was there to meet with her sister’.
‘He held her hand and he pushed me away. He pulled a knife form his left side back pocket. He cut her chin. When she tried to save herself he cut her hand, then he bore her left side breast. I holler and my cousin Roshni and her husband Arnold came. A dark skinned boy pulled away the knife and threw it away. I started to cry. Cynthia was on the ground and Andrew was on top of her. I was ten feet away from the scene. I remember the knife it was black handled. Nothing blocked my view’.
Responding to questions by senior counsel, Bernard De Santos, the witness said during the period in which the accused asked Cynthia where she was going, she [the witness] was pushed away, and she fell in the process.
‘I did not see the knife prior to falling. I gave sworn evidence in the Magistrate Court. I remained on the ground until a dark-skinned boy throw away the knife.
Re-examined by state prosecutrix, Ms Renita Singh, the witness said the fist time she saw the knife was when it was pulled from the accused back pocket.
In her opening address to the jury, state prosecutrix, Renita Singh stated that on October 7, 2011, Basdeo had made arrangements with her sister, Tulseidai, and brother-in-law, Arnold Reddy, to attend the school sports.
The girl’s sister and brother-in- law were at the school sports when they noticed the accused grab Basdeo. By the time they ran to the accused the teenager was on the ground, while the accused was over her. Mannaru had a knife in his hand and the deceased was seen bleeding. Basdeo’s brother-in-law pulled the accused away from her and the knife was taken away.
Basdeo was rushed to the New Amsterdam hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The defence team consisted of senior counsel, Bernard De Santos and his wife Pamela.

(By Jeune Vankeric)