THE jury in Justice Dawn Gregory’s court at the Demerara Assizes heard yesterday that missing policeman, Igriss Bobb Blackman, was found dead in a septic tank near to his West Bank Demerara home, and his reputed wife, Desiree Jeffers, has been indicted with his murder.

Jeffers has pleaded not guilty, and is alleging that Blackman was not killed at her home at La Parfaite Harmonie, but by three men outside of the home.

According to the prosecution’s case, conducted by lawyers Misses Natasha Backer and Mercedes Thompson, the accused has claimed as her property a blood-stained knife and a sledge hammer that were found by the police.

But investigators say the 62-year-old Jeffers, who is being represented by Attorney-at-law Peter Hugh in association with lawyer Miss Latchmie Rahamat, has so far refused to give a written statement.

Witnesses testifying at the trial state that the search for the missing policeman began in January 2011, after Blackman had been interdicted from duty and was reported missing.
Woman Police Sgt. Corene Campbell of the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station testified to being connected with the investigation into the death of the 34-year-old policeman, who had been reported missing from his home.

She said that before Blackman’s body had been discovered in the septic tank, investigators had visited his West Bank Demerara home, where he was reported to be tied up in a room; and during the ensuing search, police had cause to break open a room after the accused, who lived in the same house, had said that was the room which Blackman used, but the keys had been misplaced.

The room, when broken and entered, yielded nothing; but success came for the police when Ptolemy Blackman, brother of the deceased, placed a long stick into the septic tank and was able to fish out the deceased, whose feet had been tied, and whose head and face had also been wrapped with a white cloth which had red stains.

The body, wrapped in a multi-coloured carpet, was later identified as that of Igriss Blackman.

The police photographer and the fingerprint expert were at the scene, and they took pictures and samples for investigative purposes.

Police Sgt. Ron Nedd, who had seen what appeared to be a red substance dropping from a room on the top flat of the home to a cabinet on the lower flat, called the attention of the accused to what he had seen, cautioned her, and suggested that that might be the place where Blackman had been murdered.

According to him, the accused replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about!”

At that stage, Officer Terrace Paul told the accused that he had reason to suspect that she, in company with Delroy Franker and two Rastas, had murdered Igriss Blackman on January 14, 2011. He then cautioned the accused, and she replied, “I know nothing about that!”

After further investigations, the accused was charged with murder.

Hearing of this case is continuing before Justice Dawn Gregory at the Demerara Assizes.

(By George Barclay)