– Prosecution accuses defence of intimidation
THE second eyewitness in the Tain murder case took to the stand at the Berbice Assizes and gave sworn testimony of the incident, which resulted in the death of Marlon Andrew Ramcharran. The witness is expected to return to court on Monday, March 24, when it is expected he would be cross-examined by Defence Counsel Mursalene Bacchus.

The other eyewitness, Nicolas Beharry, expected to return to court yesterday for further cross-examination, was absent. He is, however, expected to attend the hearings on the adjourned date.

State Prosecutrix Ms Renita Singh opined that Defence Counsel Mursalene Bacchus is intimidating the eyewitness Beharry by having him photographed.
According to her, following the adjournments at the Berbice Assizes, the witness, on exiting the courtroom, was photographed by an employee of Bacchus, while the lawyer was overheard telling friends of the witness, who had accompanied him, “You are all criminals”.

Ms Singh told the Guyana Chronicle that she is of the opinion that the lawyer was trying to scare her witness, who is still to continue his evidence.

Eighteen-year-old mason Nicolas Beharry had earlier said he knew the deceased Marlon Andrew Ramcharran, his neighbour, for approximately two years, and had, on June 3, 2012, accompanied Ramcharran to Bishoo’s shop, where they were joined by Rakesh Jairam, called Ajay.
‘Whilst there, Ramcharran’s friend, Adrian, had come and borrowed his bicycle and when the bicycle was not returned, “we proceeded to the Dusk til Dawn shop to get the bike.

“However, after I got the bicycle, Marlon (Ramcharran) had three beers, and a fight broke out with (murder accused) Joshua (Persaud) and (Raphael Rene) Morrison and other guys. Also, Marlon and Morrison had an argument.

“Me, Marlon and Ajay left to go home. However, Marlon, who was ahead, was later overheard shouting ‘You chopping the wrong person!’

According to the witness, as he drew closer with his friend Rakesh, he asked the murder accused men — Joshua Persaud, called ‘Sunny Boy’ and ‘Bun Boy’, 22; and Raphael Rene Morrison, called ‘Red Head’, 24, both of Bloomfield, Corentyne, Berbice – “Why you chopping my friend?”, but instead of responding, the men, both armed, ran after him and Ajay, who fled in different directions.

“Marlon was standing with upraised hands as he attempted to defend himself from the injuries which were sustained from a ‘dabber’, a weapon used by cane harvesters to chop sugar cane,” the witness Beharry had said.

After an approximately-fifteen-minute seclusion, Beharry said, he had returned to the area, Block 4 Tain Village, to find his friend Marlon Andrew Ramcharran injured and lying with blood covering his body.

“I shouted for the neighbours, but no one responded. Ajay came, and we went to Marlon’s mother and we related to her what had transpired. The police then came,” Beharry had testified.

The witness said he went to Whim Police Station the following day, where he identified Joshua Persaud and Raphael Rene Morrison as the persons who had inflicted the injuries on Ramcharran.

Defence Counsel Bacchus had objected to the line of evidence, and had made submissions which were upheld.

The men on trial are accused of the unlawful killing of Marlon Andrew Ramcharran on June 3, 2012.
By Jeune Vankeric