CHRISTOPHER Da Silva was on Tuesday sentenced to 11 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter for the killing of a teenage boy back in June 2012, at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

The sentence was handed down by Justice Navindra Singh. On Tuesday,while the trial was into a few days, Da Silva, who was indicted for the murder of Rayaad Khan on June 28, 2012, at 17th Avenue Diamond, East Bank Demerara, during an argument over a girl, changed his plea through his attorney, Maxwell McKay.

The court accepted the guilty plea and Justice Singh asked the 12-member jury to return a formal not guilty verdict for murder. In his submission, defence counsel Maxwell McKay told the court that his client is a model prisoner and is a member of the boxing unit at Camp Street Prison with an exceptional record of 17 wins under his belt and two losses.
McKay also asked the court for leniency as he spoke of the good behaviour of Da Silva, who came from a single parent household and was on remand for the past five years.

Meanwhile, with tears in his eyes, Da Silva apologised to the father of the deceased, who was present in court accompanied by other relatives on Tuesday for the unlawful killing.
Da Silva also asked for the court’s mercy and told Khan’s father “I am sorry for the loss of your son.”

In response, State Prosecutor, Siand Dhurjon, told the court that the deceased Rayaad Khan was killed in the prime of his life at age 17. He was attending school and had his own business.
He described Khan as a tall and handsome individual, who was full of potential and was very ambitious. Justice Singh told the court that Da Silva has found himself in an unfortunate position but hope he pursues a meaningful life thereafter.

The Judge related that one cannot forget that a life was lost, alluding to the evidence presented in court. He said Khan was an ambitious young man and the court cannot allow the murder to go unpunished. Justice Singh also recognised Da Silva’s genuine remorse for his actions which led to the death of Khan and handed down his sentence of 11 years.

However, five years was subtracted for the time served while on remand, as such, Khan will only serve six years. After the verdict was handed down, a tearful Da Silva looked at his relatives, who were present in court as he was led away to jail.

The indictment stated that Christopher Da Silva, 23, murdered Rayaad Khan, 17, of 737 Section ‘C’ Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara on June 28, 2012. Reports indicated that Khan was going to pick up one of his cousins when he was confronted by Da Silva and a fight ensued, during which he was stabbed and left on the street with a gaping wound.
The fight reportedly started because of a female. Khan would have celebrated his 18th birthday the day after he was murdered.

A post mortem report revealed that Khan died of a single stab wound to the upper right chest which severed his artery and jugular. The cause of death was given as shock and haemorrhage due to a stab wound.