– senior cop says he took statement

DURING the murder trial of Balram Singh in the High Court before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury yesterday, several police witnesses testified.

The first witness, Assistant Commissioner Winston Cosbert said in January 2010 he was stationed at Brickdam as a senior superintendent and was the officer-in-charge of Crime for ‘A’ Division and relative to the murder committed on Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo between January19 to 27, 2010, he assisted in the investigations.

He added that he was present at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Providence Police Station on January 27, 2010 when Detective Sergeant Nigel Stephens held a confrontation between the accused Balram Singh and Bharat Narine and it was said that Singh had sold a wagon-type car to him (Narine) for $600,000.

Narine told the police there that he paid Singh $400,000 and later gave the reminder of the cash which amounted to $200,000 to the accused.

Cosbert told the court that at that point Singh blurted out: “Is me and Travis David kill the taxi driver, tek the car and sell Bharat.”

The senior officer added that Stephens who was elected by Singh to pen the caution statement also cautioned him after he said he would like to put his oral statement into writing.

Cosbert noted that the statement was given to Singh upon completion of writing by Stephens; he was asked whether he understood and he said yes and affixed his signature and he did the same as a witness.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Jermaine Jervis, it was suggested to Cosbert that he was present when black plastic bags were placed on Singh’s head and he was threatened and beaten. Cosbert told the court that he is a senior officer and at no time in his presence such an incident had taken place and that Singh had given the caution statement and signed it of his own free will.
Lance Corporal Jermaine Laundry also testified and said in January 2010 he was stationed at the Providence Police Station and assisted in the probe relative to a report of the death of Sukhdeo.

Lance Corporal Roderick Melville also testified and Detective Devon Bowen was cross-examined by defence counsel Jermaine Jervis. The two policemen were among the ranks who had accompanied Stephens and Singh to Agricola, Industrial Site, Eccles and the Mocha-Arcadia Access Road.

The state is being represented by Narissa Leander in association with Teshanna James-Lake while, the defence counsel are Jermaine Jervis and Clevann Humphrey.

In her opening statement at the commencement of the trial, Leander told the court that the deceased was a taxi driver who was last seen alive on January 19, 2010 after which a search was launched for him and his car.

She added that on January 27, 2010, the car was found at a bodywork shop in Herstelling New Scheme, East Bank Demerara and later the badly burnt body of Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo was discovered at the Mocha-Arcadia Access Road, also on the East Bank of Demerara.

Leander said the accused Balram Singh was subsequently arrested and charged for the offence.

The indictment stated that between January 19 and 27, 2010 in the county of Demerara, the accused Balram Singh allegedly murdered Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo. The car was hijacked and sold to the owner of a taxi service in Grove. The charred remains believed to be that of Sukhdeo was found at the Mocha-Arcadia Access Road. It is believed that he was shot in the head and set alight, after which his body was dumped.