IN addresses to the jury in the trial of a man who allegedly stabbed his wife to death in 2013 at the K&VC hotel on South Road, Georgetown, defence and prosecuting counsel yesterday requested from the jury ‘Not guilty’ and ‘Guilty’ verdicts respectively.Their requests came after Vinod Balgobin, accused of knifing to death his wife, Maryann Sunita Nauth, maintained his innocence in an unsworn statement from the dock and claimed that his alleged confession statement was an ‘imagination’ by the police.

After the tattooed body was discovered in K&VC hotel room 209 on the night of May 12th, 2013, the police went in search of Balgobin, and picked up his mother as an accessory after the fact.
But on May 15th the police caught up with Balgobin, who allegedly confessed to the crime by telling the police that it was tattoo marks on the belly of his estranged wife that sparked a row between them and caused him to pull out a blade from his haversack and ‘jook’ her up because he was vexed to realise that she had been giving him ‘blow’ (being unfaithful).
But in leading his defence yesterday in an unsworn statement from the dock, Balgobin maintained that he was innocent. He told Justice Holder and the jury that he was tricked by the police to signing a statement when Policeman Hubert Henry told him on May 15th that his mother was in custody and that she would remain in custody unless he signed a paper where an x indicated where he must place his signature.
The accused added: “I signed the paper because I love my mother. I did not kill my wife. That afternoon I met my wife drinking with some friends and she invited me and friends to their table. When I was leaving her company I told her and I gave her some money for herself and children. That is all.”
Defence attorney, Compton Richardson did not call witnesses but went ahead to address the jury.
Mr. Richardson referred to certain aspects of the evidence to show that witnesses had testified that the woman had by herself paid for the room that day and was not accompanied by the accused when she did so.
Counsel also told the jury that at the identification parade certain procedures were not adhered to. According to counsel, instead of having people of similar build on parade, the accused was the tallest on parade and the slimmest.
Counsel also made reference to the confession statement and told the jury that the policeman had acknowledged that on the day the alleged confession was made, the mother of the accused was in custody.
And he told the jury that if they entertained any doubt about whether the confession statement was signed by the accused under the circumstances that he alleged, then they must give him the benefit of that doubt.
Counsel also asked the jury to find that the photograph of the accused which was found on the bed not far from the body, was planted there since no one would be so stupid as to commit a crime and leave evidence to incriminate himself.
On the other hand, leading prosecutrix, Mrs. Teshana Lake asked the jury to find that the injuries on the deceased, 35 incised wounds, were caused by the accused.
Counsel referred to the evidence of prosecution witness, Wendy Hutson who testified that she had seen the accused and the now deceased woman at the hotel on the night in question and had seen them enter room 209.
Mrs. Lake also reminded the jury about the evidence of Corporal Henry who had said that the accused had told him that he was the person who ‘jooked’ up his wife.
Mrs. Lake also urged the jury to return a verdict in accordance with the evidence and the oath they had taken.
Justice Franklyn Holder declared that he would sum up the evidence on Thursday morning at 9.30 hrs and then he would hand over the case to the jury for their consideration and verdict.
(By George Barclay)