…for murder of Chateau Margot businessman

VICTOR Babb, who was charged with the murder of Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara businessman, Dennis Ramah, was on Monday jailed for 80 years by High Court Judge, Navindra Singh.

Babb, 35 of “B” Field, Pattensen, East Coast Demerara, was found guilty of the charge by a 12-member mixed jury after almost two hours of deliberation at the completion of the trial.
The charge against Babb alleges that, on November 16, 2010, at Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara, in the East Magisterial District, he murdered 64-year-old Ramah.

Bobb was represented by attorney-at-law Latoya Roberts while, the state was represented by prosecutors Abigail Gibbs, Tuanna Hardy, and Teriq Mohammed. Roberts, in her plea of mitigation for Babb, asked the court to consider that he is young and has his whole life ahead of him while pleading with the court to be lenient. Babb however, maintained that he was innocent of the crime.

Justice Singh before handing down the sentence considered that a gun was used during the commission of the crime; that Ramah was shot during an armed robbery at his business place and the fact that another person was also injured during the ordeal.

According to reports, on November 16, 2010, about 09:30 hours, a group of men entered the business premises of the L & D Supermarket at Second Street, Chateau Margot, which was owned by Ramah. The men reportedly ordered the employees of the supermarket to lie on the ground. It is alleged that Babb, who was armed with a gun, shot and killed Ramah, who had raised an alarm and armed himself with a cutlass.

He managed to wound one of the perpetrators, but was shot twice in his chest. The bandits subsequently ran out of the house. The wounded businessman was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) but later succumbed.