…was previously sentenced to 57 years

THIRTY-YEAR-OLD Ravindra Paremdass was on Monday, March 25, 2019, sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for the 2012 killing of Roopram Jagdeo, called ‘Lil Baby’, at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The sentence was handed down by Justice James Bovell-Drakes in the High Court, following a probation report on Paremdass. Originally charged with murder, Paremdass called ‘Munesh’ opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The indictment read that between December 20-21, 2012 at Providence, East Bank Demerara, Paremdass killed Jagdeo. Paremdass was represented by attorney-at-law Maxwell McKay while the state was represented by prosecutors Tameika Clarke and Tiffni Lyken.

Before sentencing, the report was read in court by a probation officer and it revealed that Paremdass was sorry for killing Jagdeo and begged the court and the deceased’s family for forgiveness. The probation officer said that, while Paremdass was imprisoned, he received a certificate and medal after completing a tailoring course.

It was also revealed that Paremdass had been relocated to the Lusignan Prison and works in the kitchen. The probation officer said that Paremdass was described as an alcoholic by his former workmates and several residents from the village where he had lived.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s wife, explained that Jagdeo was the sole breadwinner for the family and his death severely impacted them. She stressed that she was forced to seek employment as a domestic worker. However she became ill and the family is now being sustained by her eldest daughter. Justice Bovell-Drakes told Paremdass “I would imagine that your experience in the system would be a wake-up call.”

The Judge explained that the abuse of alcohol causes persons to do things that they would not normally do. He also pointed out that young people, when they are agitated, often take steps that they would have to reflect on, and in this case it caused the death of someone.
Justice Bovell-Drakes, in his ruling explained that based upon Paremdass’ approach to the court and his statement to the deceased’s family he was committing him to 12 years imprisonment.

In 2015, Paremdass went on trial before High Court Judge Navindra Singh, who had imposed a 57-year jail term after a 12- member jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
However, in 2018, Attorney-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin successfully appealed the conviction and sentence on behalf of Paremdass. Datadin had argued that Justice Singh failed to adequately put his client’s case of self-defence to the jury for consideration.

Hearing the appeal was Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory. The Court of Appeal had set aside the conviction and sentence and ordered a retrial for Paremdass.

The state’s case is that the accused and Jagdeo were involved in an altercation that resulted in the latter’s death. The altercation between the men stemmed from a row over a bicycle. According to reports, Paremdass killed Jagdeo by dealing him several blows to the head with a piece of wood.

Paremdass had admitted during his first trial that the incident resulted from a fight, which Jagdeo started. He had claimed that Jagdeo threatened to kill him with a piece of wood after he refused to lend his bicycle. Additionally, Paremdass explained that during the confrontation, he sustained injuries to the head. Consequently, Paremdass said he went into Jagdeo’s yard and dealt him several lashes with another piece of wood, resulting in Jagdeo sustaining the fatal blow to the head.