JUSTICE Roxanne George is presiding over the first of three voir dires in the William Street, Campbellville, septic tank murder trial at the Demerara Assizes. Three young men are accused of killing a 56-year-old woman and dumping her body in a septic tank in 2007.
The judge is at present conducting the first of three voir dires to determine the admissibility of caution statements said to be made by the accused to the police.
The prosecution was about to tender the alleged statement of the No. 1 accused, when defence counsel Mr. Madan Kissoon objected on the ground that it was not obtained in accordance with the judges’ rules.
As a consequence, this sparked off the voir dire – a trial within a trial in the absence of the jury.
The prosecution led by Miss. Diana Kaulesar and including Miss. Stacy Goodings and Miss Shawnette Austin, closed her case yesterday with respect to the first voir dire .
The No. 1 accused Tyndal elected to begin his defence in the voir dire with an unsworn statement from the dock. He will be cross-examined on the resumption on Monday.
The accused Ralph Tyndal called “Nick”; Anthony de Paul Hope also called “Papa” and Kevin O’ Neil are charged with having between the 27th day of December 2007 and the 6th day of January 2008 in the county of Demerara, murdered Colleen Forrester.
Mr. George Thomas is appearing for the number 2 accused, Hope, while Mr. Mervyn Duke is representing O’Neil.