A MIXED jury of the Demerara Assizes found ‘Cool Square’ Hotel murder accused Leon Duncan not guilty of the murder of businessman Imtiaz Roopnaraine on January 24, 2013.Some days before this decision, defence counsel Mark Waldron had suffered a setback when Madam Justice Priya Seunarine-Beharry overruled a no-case submission.
Following the verdict yesterday, Justice Seunarine-Beharry discharged the accused, who discarded his chains and walked away to freedom.

Subsequent to her ruling in the no-case submission, Justice Seunarine-Beharry called on the accused Leon Duncan for a defence.
Duncan began his defence with a statement from the dock, leaving his counsel to do the rest with his address to the jury.

The accused had faced trial for the murder of Imtiaz Roopnaraine, called ‘Bobby’, of Mandela Avenue Georgetown. The incident took place on January 24, 2013 at the Cool Square Hotel, in Marigold Street, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Bobby, it is said, was wearing expensive jewelry at the time when he was robbed and shot in the head.

In his statement from the dock, the accused admitted visiting that hotel to have sex that night, but denied shooting or robbing ‘Bobby.’ He began by saying: ‘My name is Leon James. I am innocent of this crime. I did not kill the deceased, nor did I rob him.”

Miss Stacy Goodings, Miss Tuanna Hardy and Miss Orinthia Schmidt were the prosecutors.