AFTER the State closed its case against accused Balram Singh yesterday in the High Court he led his defence and elected to remain in the prisoners’ dock where he gave an unsworn statement before a 12-member jury and Justice Navindra Singh for the 2010 murder of taxi driver Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo.Singh narrated a story for one and a half hours where he covered from the time he was arrested and charged for murder. He claimed he was beaten by the police while in custody to sign a caution statement penned by a police officer and how he was offered an inducement of getting to go home if he affixed his signature.
He told the court yesterday that he had no reason to take, or do anybody anything to get money because he worked for his own and was innocent of the charge before him.
Singh said, “Meh ain’t kill nobody sir.”
The accused also told the court he did not commit the murder and though he did not go far in school he worked and acquired certain things from which he earned a living.
Defence counsel Jermaine Jervis in his closing address said his client was innocent because the car in question was not found in the possession of Singh nor were fingerprints lifted from the said car..
He stated that no agreement of sale of the car was found in Singh’s home during the police search and the said car was found at a body workshop after it was taken there to strip and sprayed in yellow by two persons, Bharat Narine and one “Papa” (only name given).
Meanwhile, in closing, state prosecutor Narissa Leander said the accused was lying by giving a long-winded story and he knew why he was arrested because he murdered Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo and took his car and sold it.
She told the court that certain evidence presented was not challenged and the police witnesses had no reason to lie in court.
Justice Navindra Singh is expected to sum up today (Wednesday) after which the jury will deliver a verdict.
Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh also testified yesterday in this matter and gave the cause of death as undetermined due to the advanced state of decomposition and the fact that the body was burnt beyond recognition.
He said samples were taken from the body for DNA analysis and the body was identified by the father-in-law of the deceased.
The State was represented by Narissa Leander in association with Teshanna James-Lake while the defence counsel were Jermaine Jervis and Clevaun 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 body workshop in Herstelling New Scheme, East Bank Demerara and later the badly burnt body of Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo was discovered at Mocha Arcadia Access Road, also East Bank Demerara.
Leander said the accused; Balram Singh was 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 murdered Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo. The car was hijacked and sold to a taxi service owner in Grove. The charred remains believed to be that of taxi driver, Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo was found at Mocha Arcadia Access Road. It is believed that he was shot in the head and set alight after which his body was dumped.