– as trial in 2014 Land of Canaan attempted murder continues

AS the trial in the attempted murder back in 2014 that left him scarred for life continued Thursday at the Georgetown High Court, eyewitness Welton Edwards took the stand, with the aid of a walker.

The matter was being heard before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member jury, and required Edwards giving a detailed as possible account of what transpired on the night of November 2, 2014 at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara.

Edwards, who has lost the ability to walk on his own, told the court that on the night in question, he was shot twice by the accused, Dereck Jaisingh, at around 22:20h.

He told the court that he still resides at Land of Canaan, where, in 2014, he operated a nightspot cum bar and grocery in a building he shared with his wife and children.

Edwards recalled that he had just done closing up for the night when he heard his nephew, Sherwin Hamilton, calling out for “Lazzo”, “Lazzo”, which is his call-name.

The witness said that from the tone of his nephew’s voice, he knew straightaway that something was not right. The boy was also trying to tell him something, but he couldn’t make out what it was.

On venturing outside to see what the matter was, Edwards said he didn’t see anything untowards at first, until he saw his nephew coming from the back of his mother’s house and telling him that someone was beating up his brother, Raymond Hamilton.

With that, Edwards said, he lost no time in accompanying his nephew to where the altercation was taking place, this being the Land of Canaan Public Road.

And no sooner had they gotten there than the nephew, pointing to the accused, said, “Look de man!”

According to Edwards, the accused, Jaisingh, was standing on the road by a “lantern post” near a Chinese Restaurant, so he could make him out very clearly, since the place was adequately lit.

Edwards recalled that as his nephew was walking towards Jaisingh, the latter whipped out a gun and fired about 10 to 11 shots at him.

He told the court that everything happened so suddenly, he momentarily became transfixed; he was so afraid he couldn’t move.

Then, as he turned to walk away, he felt this burning sensation in the “small” of his back. And when he put his hand to the spot, he not only realised he was bleeding, but his belly felt like it was churning up inside him.
And as he bent down, he saw the accused pointing the gun in his direction.

The witness said that in spite of all the pain he was in, he had the presence of mind to ask his assailant, “Me and you had a problem?”

But the accused’s only response was to fire another shot at him, catching him again in the lower back.

And as he fell, Edwards said, he felt a shadow come over him, and looking up, he saw the accused standing there with the gun trained on him. And without missing a beat, the man squeezed the trigger twice, but fortunately, he had run out of ammunition.

After that, Edwards said, he lost consciousness, so he could not say what happened next.

The state is being led by Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt, while the defence counsel is Nigel Hughes.

Leading the state’s case, Prosecutor Cave, said in her opening statement that on the night in question, the accused Dereck Jaisingh had allegedly attempted to murder Sherwin Hamilton and Welton Edwards, when all the men wanted to do was to ask him what beef he had with their relative that he had to beat him up.

For their pains, the prosecutor said, Sherwin Hamilton took nine bullets, and his uncle two. Both men were subsequently hospitalised, while the gunman was indicted.

Cave said the men were not robbers; that they were unarmed when they went to enquire why the accused had beaten their relative since they had hitherto had no beef.

The matter continues in the Georgetown High Court.