Traffic light murder: Wife breaks down in tears during testimony
Murder accused: Travis McDougall
Murder accused: Travis McDougall

-accused pleads innocence, says was tortured

 

SHAYRAZADI Ragghu, the wife of the man who was robbed and murdered at the traffic light in the vicinity of the Botanical Gardens on August 18, 2014, gave a teary testimony in the Georgetown High Court as she took the stand to recall her story on Wednesday.

Ragghu was shot and injured but survived the incident.However,her husband, Ashokkoemar Ragghu, a gold miner was not so fortunate. On trial is Travis McDougall, who is being represented by Attorney, Nigel Hughes.

During her testimony, the woman recalled that her husband had recently arrived home from the interior and went to the Guyana Gold Board where he got a cheque for $4M and on August 15, 2014, they went to Citizens Bank to encash that cheque and returned home with the money, which was placed in a black haversack bag.

Mrs. Ragghu related that on August 18, 2014 at about 12:45 hrs,she was with her husband in their motorcar, PGG 8291 at the traffic light at Regent and Vlissengen Road, headed to pay bills with the money. The witness at this point started to cry but composed herself and added that they stopped the car to obey the traffic signals when suddenly a man came up to her husband’s side of the car of which the window was half way down.

She told the court that the man had a gun and he chucked her husband and told him to hand over the bag to which he refused, after which the man shot him. Her husband fell forward in his seat and the woman grabbed the bag from the back seat.

Mrs. Ragghu said the man took the bag with the money from her and shot her at the same time after which he went on a bike which was a short distance away and left.

It happened fast
The witness said the incident happened very fast but she got a good look at the faces of both men who were wearing helmets at the time. She described the shooter as a tall, dark-skinned man with tattoos on his hand and black spots on his face, while the rider of the motorcycle was a fat/chubby looking man. Mrs. Ragghu added that after the men fled the scene, people came to render assistance and she was taken to the hospital.

The witness stated that she went to an identification parade at Brickdam Police Station on August 20, 2014 and identified a man whom she said was the rider of the bike. Mrs. Ragghu related that she viewed a second identification parade and picked out the shooter from a line-up of eight men of similar features. She told the court that the incident has affected her greatly and she has to depend on her children.

Meanwhile, under cross-examination by defence counsel Hughes, the witness maintained that the men she picked out from the line-up are the same men who shot her and her husband on the day in question. Three police witnesses also testified and the prosecution closed its case, after which the accused was asked to lead his defence.

I AM INNOCENT
He chose to give an unsworn statement from the prisoner’s box, where he said he was innocent of the charge against him and detailed his activities and whereabouts on the day in question. McDougall said he was at Jialing’s office with a relative on the day in question after which he went home and slept and woke up that afternoon to play bingo with his neighbours. The accused added that he was arrested the next morning when police came to his house, after which he was placed in custody and tortured by the police to affix his signature to a prepared statement.

McDougall told the court that he was shocked to the genital area repeatedly and urinated himself after he felt weak and signed his name under duress, after which he passed through the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court charged with murder and was remanded to prison. The defence called four witnesses to take the stand to corroborate McDougall’s story on the day in question.

The matter is being heard in the Georgetown High Court before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury.

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