JUSTICE James Bovell-Drakes on Monday imposed a 20-year sentence on Ravindra Bandoo, alias “Birdie”, for the brutal murder last year of his wife.

Bandoo reportedly inflicted several fatal chops about the face and head of his wife, Indrawattee Somwar, called Sharda, at their home at Princetown, Corriverton in the Berbice County on March 7, 2016.

He was at first indicted with murder, contrary to Common Law, but threw in the towel by pleading guilty to the lesser count, which was accepted by State Prosecutrix, Orintha Schimdt.

Following the probation report on the prisoner’s background, and a plea in mitigation by State-appointed attorney, Charrandas Persaud, the judge, in handing down the sentence to the tearful prisoner as he stood in the dock, said:

“You used a cutlass to inflict such deadly wounds about her face and head. Even if you were provoked, the now deceased woman was not your child; nor was she your dog, nor an animal, nor a piece of wood.

“I have taken into consideration the weapon; I have also taken into consideration that the act was committed in the presence of the now deceased’s children.

“I have deducted two years for the two prison years spent. You are sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.”

Prosecutrix Schimdt recalled the evidence of Lilawattie Ghanie, the deceased’s daughter, who, after returning home from school on March 8, 2016 at around 15:30hrs, was summoned by her stepfather.

“At the time,” the child told the court, “he was next door drinking vodka. He sked me the time; I had to go to check the time.

“My stepfather asked me to tell my mother that he wanted food to eat. I took the food to him; it was curry egg and rice. I put the food on the table. He took it and flung it on the ground.

“My mother then came downstairs and told my stepfather that he don’t purchase anything, and so he can’t break anything.

“I then went into the toilet. I heard my brother scream. I exited the toilet and saw my mother bleeding and lying in front of our gate. She had a chop on her face and neck.”

PROBATION REPORT
Earlier into the trial, Senior Probation Officer, Ms Voonashewarie Gopal, had reported that at the time of the incident, the prisoner was living with his common-law wife and partner, the now deceased “Sharda”, and two of her children, Sasenarine and Lilawatie Ganie, in a one-flat, two-bedroom, unpainted wooden structure at Lot 22 Princetown, Corentyne.

The house, she’d said, was owned by the deceased’s father.

She said that Bandoo had established a common-law relationship with the then 35-year-old woman when he was just 16 years old, and that their relationship did not produce any offspring.

The deceased’s son, Sasenarine Somwar, had revealed that he had witnessed several incidents of physical abuse being meted out to his mother at the hands of the accused. He recalled a particular incident when his mother was injured with a screwdriver while she was at the Number 79 Village Municipal Market. He said the reason the matter was not report to the district police station was because it was oftentimes hoped that Bandoo would change his behaviour.

Somwar said many of the acts of violence were triggered by large doses of alcoholic consumption. His sister, Lilawattie, said her mother was a victim of domestic violence.

On October 21, 2014, Bandoo was arrested and charged with the unlawful wounding of “Sharda”, but the case was dismissed on January 19, 2015 by Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Springlands Court because the virtual complainant did not wish to give evidence against her common-law husband.

In wrapping up her report, Gopal came to the conclusion that the couple had shared an abusive relationship, and that while the now deceased woman had made an attempt to get the matter addressed by the Court, she may have been reluctant to provide evidence to the Court because of fear, and had seemingly hoped his behavior would change in the future.

“The actions of the accused have left a family, immediate and extended, as well as the society with an indelible wound which has changed their lives,” she concluded.

In his plea in mitigation, the accused’s attorney asked for mercy for his client, noting that the system failed him, as he too had made reports of abuse, but no one had listened to him.

CAUTION STATEMENT
In his caution statement, Bandoo had revealed to Detective Sergeant Lawrence Thomas that when he took in the woman and her two children, he had provided for all their needs.

“But everytime I tek a few drinks, she does tell me fuh pack meh things and move out; she always insulting meh,” Bandoo said in the statement.

Recalling the incident of March 7, 2016, Bandoo said he had worked for $60,000 that day and had given “Sharda” the entire sum. Thereafter, he went to purchase a bottle of rum and a bottle of Pepsi. But, on returning home, she started to quarrel, so he left with the beverages and went to the home of the next-door neighbour.

“But while I drinking,” he said, “she come and started to preach again, so I go home and collect the music player box, along with my earphone so I won’t hear when she was preaching.

“I was drinking for a while before I went over and asked her for a thousand dollars from the money I had given her, if she could not fry some sausages for me. She told me she don’t have any money, so I asked her what she did with all the money I had given her.

“She said she gave her ‘sweet-man’ brother all the money. I walked downstairs and sat on a bench; she came downstairs. She asked me what I was doing there, and if I was not leaving.

“I told her that I helped to nice up the place, and how she can put me out. Is this the thanks I must get?

“But she tell me to take my things, because she got better men to get better things for her. I told her I was her slave. At the time, I saw a cutlass bracing a post. She, too, turned and looked at the cutlass and run to grab it, but I collected the weapon first and started to chop her face and she fell.

“I chopped her again before throwing the cutlass away in the yard, and returning to the bench to await the arrival of the police.”

A post mortem report prepared by Government Forensic Pathologist Dr Vivihanand Brijmohan concluded that death was due to shock and haemorrhage and multiple incised wounds.

However, among the injuries inflicted on the deceased were a gaping 24.cm incised wound across her face and mouth; two incised wounds to the left face and neck; another wound below the chin, moving horizontally across the neck; with fracturing and fragmentations of the first vertebra and the hydroid bone.