LAWYER Glenn Hanoman, in a battle for the freedom of the four accused in the stepfather murder case yesterday accused the police of constructing their case on the basis of gossip.According to Hanoman, the deceased Motilall Singh who was allegedly sporting with a lot of money could have been a victim of robbery, a source which the police never investigated.

Instead, they concentrated on securing confession statements from two of the accused by means of violence.
However, senior prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin in referring to the gossip contention said that in every gossip there is a line of truth and claimed that the evidence against the four accused was overwhelming.
She exhorted the jury to take with them the confession statements to the jury room when they retire to consider their verdict and to read them properly.
According to Gildharie-Mursalin, when they would have done that, and together with the summing-up and directions from the trial judge, they would inevitably come to a conclusion that the four accused are guilty of the crime of murder.
The accused Bissoondial Mahadeo, also called ‘Weedman’, Bibi Shamiza, called ‘Sham’, Hoosman Khan, called ‘Strongman’, and Bibi Farida Khan, called ‘Pum’, are accused of having on the 7th September, 2009, at Windsor Forest, West Coast of Demerara murdered Motilall Singh, because it is alleged he wanted to sell out the house with them inside.
Following the ruling in the no-case submissions, the four accused made unsworn statements from the dock.
Number one accused Bissoondial Mahadeo and number three accused Hoosman Khan who allegedly made statements admitting their participation in the crime, said in their statements that the police used violence on them to obtain the statements.
And defence counsel Hanoman , representing Mahadeo, called as a defence witness Corporal Anan Persaud Sookho who testified that he had accompanied Mahadeo from the police station to the Georgetown Prison, where in his presence, Mahadeo had told the receptionist at the prison that he had an injury to the face.
The witness said that he asked the prisoner why he did not speak to one of the officers about the incident, but Mahadeo remained silent.
Under cross-examination by Prosecuting counsel Gilldharie-Mursalin, Corporal Sookho was asked whether he heard Mahadeo tell the receptionist about any blows received on his buttocks or any part of his body. The corporal replied, “No”.
After this answer, Hanoman applied to the court to have the witness deemed hostile so that he could cross-examine him. The judge found that the application was not justified.
Earlier in the trial Police Sergeant Narine Lall disclosed that the number one accused Bissoondial Mahadeo told him in his caution statement: “Six days prior to the murder he was with his friend ‘Little’’ at Windsor Forest talking with him and his wife Shamiza.
“He then said that they told him that they wanted him to kill ‘Uncle Motie’ because he wants to sell out the house with them inside and that there would be a good chance when Motie was returning home from drinking that night.
“Little tell meh that if meh go with he pon the work, he gon give me $100,000 and me tell he alright. Sir, this morning about 10 ‘o’ clock me bin deh home when Little come and call me and tell meh that all the arrangements in place,” Mahadeo said in the statement.
“Sir me see he with a black handle knife and me and he walk and go to the Windsor Forest First Street – awee sid down pon the roadside bench and ten minutes after one bus stop on the public road and me see Motie and he cousin Hoosman come out.
When they reach next to me and Little, Little scramble Motie on he neck and start juk he. Motie start fight back and Little shout for me. Then me help Little hold Motie and he gave him couple more juks in he belly and me see he fell down and after that me run and go home,” the statement said.
Lawyer Hanoman is appearing for Mahadeo, while Mr. Bernard De Santos, S.C., is appearing for the other three accused.
After calling a medex of the Georgetown Prison to give evidence, the defence counsel addressed the jury yesterday.
After the Prosecutrix replied, trial Judge, Mr. Justice Navindra Singh decided that he would begin his address to the jury this morning.
Written By George Barclay