THREE police witnesses yesterday testified in the murder trial of Former Queen’s College student ,Neesa Gopaul. 

Neesa’s mother, Bibi Shareema Gopaul, and step-father, Jarvis Small, are on trial at the High Court in Georgetown for the brutal murder, which allegedly took place sometime between September 24 and October 2, 2010.
Jarvis “Barry” Small, is being represented by attorneys-at-law Glen Hanoman, Bernard De Santos SC, Lyndon Amsterdam and Zanna Frank, while Bibi Gopaul is being represented by Attorney-at-Law, George Thomas.
The case is being presented by State Prosecutors Diana Kaulesar, Mercedes Thompson and Stacy Gooding.

The prosecution is presenting that on October 2, 2010, the headless remains of a female were discovered at a location along the Soesdkye-Linden Highway, tucked inside a suitcase that was partially submerged in a creek. A rope was wrapped around the suitcase and dumbbells were attached at one end, apparently in an effort to keep the body under water.
In addition to the body, a passport bearing the name Neesa Lalita Gopaul was also found. The teenager was reported missing just days before the discovery was made.
Subsequent to the discovery of the body, Bibi Gopaul and her ex-paramour Small, were arrested and charged for the murder.
Before Justice Navindra Singh and a panel of mixed jurors, three witnesses took the stand.
The first witness to testify yesterday was Superintendent Stephen Greaves attached to CID Headquarters, Eve Leary.
In Greaves’s testimony, he told the court that he took the buccal swabs from Bibi Gopaul in New Amsterdam and transported them to Georgetown.
Greaves’s role in the investigation entailed taking the samples from pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh to Barbados for testing and also the buccal swabs.
Defence Counsel Thomas asked how the swabs were stored after they were taken, whether they were allowed to dry before storage and how it was transported from out of Guyana.
The court heard of DNA testing in the previous hearing, which was done by Ms. Loraine Allen, the Deputy Director at Forensic Science Centre in Barbados.

The second witness to testify was Assistant Superintendent Joel David, stationed at Brickdam and attached to CID. He said during October 6, 2010, he was attached to Brickdam Police station.
On October 6, 2010 he joined ASP Caesar at Ruimveldt Police Station, who was interviewing the number one accused, Small. He gave his evidence pertaining to the detention of the number one accused Small while he was at the Ruimveldt Police Station.
The third witness for was Superintendent of Police Hugh Jessemy, who is presently stationed at Brickdam Police station. This witness told the court that, during 2010, he was stationed at Ruimveldt Police Station.
Jessimy said relative to the allegation of murder committed on Neesa Gopaul, he assisted in the investigation in this matter. He said on October 3, 2010, he along with a party of policemen Mohamed Kayum and Bibi Shareema Gopaul visited the Lyken Funeral Home around 08:00hrs, where he saw the body of a female dressed in dark- coloured tights and a multicoloured dress with the greater part of the head missing.
He informed the court that later on October 4, 2010, he and the crime scene unit along with Assistant Commissioner Chapman,Superintendent Paul, Shareema Gopaul and Mohamed Kayum visited Lot 30 Public Road, Leonora. There the crime scene ranks conducted a search in the hallway of the upper flat of the building.
The witness said he observed a bag packed with male and female clothing along with a kitchen knife. He added that he returned to the lower flat, where he joined Superintendent Paul and Assistant Commissioner Chapman.
On October 6, 2010, the witness said he applied for an extension for Shareema Gopaul and Jarvis Small to be kept in police custody, which was granted. On the said day around 11:40hrs, Jessemy told the court that he contacted Nazar Mohamed Okeeland and Bharat Narayan Samaroo at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Office at the Ruimveldt Police Station, where he showed them a pair of dumbbells.
The witness said he requested them to take the dumbbells to his officer where Jarvis Small was seated. Jessimy said he asked Small in the presence of Nazar Mohamed Okeeland and Bharat Narayan if he uses dumbbells and Small replied no. He then held a confrontation between Small and Okeeland and Samaroo, one at a time each with Small and he still denied.
Jessemy said October 7, 2010, around 8:00 pm; he took a statement from Shareema Gopaul.
Prosecutor Kaulesar then asked this witness prior to taking the statement, how he gained access to Lot 30 Public Road Leonora and he responded that Mohamed Kayum had keys to the premises. Another question from the prosecution ,was where the dumbbells were kept and he said in a cupboard at the Enquiry Office of the Ruimveldt Police Station.
Other questions that followed from the prosecution were how the cupboard was secured? And who had the keys to the cupboard?
The witness responded that the cupboard was secured by a padlock and the sergeant responsible for the station at that time, respectively.
He then identified the dumbbells and the two accused to the court.
Jessemy said he took an ordinary statement from Shareema Gopaul. The prosecution’s question to the witness was why Bibi Gopaul was not cautioned before the statement was taken and he responded that at the time he took the statement there was no reasonable evidence against her to put the allegation. He added that he did not use any threats or promises when he took the statement.
In the ordinary statement from Shareema Gopaul, which was taken by witness, stated that Shareema along with Moonsammy (Neesa’a father) and Neesa had moved from Anna Catherina to Leonora. The witness further read from the statement that, Shareema’s husband suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He was buried on the same day he died. However, a post mortem was not performed, since he used to be seen by Doctor Kumar.
As Jessemy continued to read Shareema’s statement, she mentioned that Neesa was a Queen’s College student and after she entered form two, she became wayward. Sometimes she refused to listen to her father when he spoke to her.
The court heard that on September 23, 2010, Shareema, her younger daughter Miriam and Neesa retired to the second bedroom, where the accused Gopaul was wearing short pants, Miriam (Neesa’s younger sister) was wearing her sleeping clothes and Neesa was wearing a multi-coloured top.
In Shareema’s ordinary statement, she said she fell asleep and woke up sometimes after 06:00hrs. That was when she realised Neesa was not in her bed, but did not know that she was not in the house, since she thought she was in the yard.
She then reported this to the Leonora Police Station. Later she was called by Superintendent Paul who told her that her daughter had been found and she along with the police went to identify her.
In Shareema’s ordinary statement, she also mentioned that she found a bag with a white sheet and clothing, which she did not know.
The trial will continue today.