TIERAN Sooknanand, 17, who fatally stabbed taxi driver Deonarine Laljit, called “Baba” at Number 72 Village, Corentyne on July 5, 2017, pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter at the Berbice Assizes on Thursday.

The teenager, represented by Attorney Chandra Sohan, had initially pleaded not guilty to the capital offence following his appearance at the Berbice Assizes two weeks ago.
However, after consulting his attorney and his parents, he admitted to the offence of manslaughter following arraignment before Justice Brassington Reynolds.

The case has since been adjourned for the hearing of the probation report, mitigation, and the State’s case by State Prosecutor, Mandel Moore.

Eight witnesses, including three policemen, the wife of the deceased and a pastor, were scheduled to testify at the hearings.

Meanwhile, according to reports, on July 5, 2017, at approximately 12:30hrs, the accused, now 17-years old, was a back-seat passenger in Laljit’s car when he dealt him two stabs: one to the neck and the other to his shoulder.

It is believed that the lad had specifically caught the victim’s car with the intention of causing bodily harm, because it was alleged that the taxi driver was in the habit of making inappropriate remarks to the boy’s sister.

The accused, a former student of Skeldon Line Path Secondary, and of Number 65 Village, was further remanded to the juvenile holding centre at Sophia pending his sentence.