A father and his son were, on Tuesday sentenced to a total of 85-years imprisonment for the gruesome killing of Suresh Nandkishore, called ‘Ravo,’ who, in 2015, was beaten to death over a plot of land located in the Mahaica Creek.

Justice Navindra Singh handed down the judgement at the High Court on Sukhdeo Dharamdat, 54, called “Toney” and his son, 25-year-old Eshwardat Dharamdat called “Bruddow”

The murder occurred on February 3, 2015, at Handsome Creek, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara. The state was represented by Prosecutors, Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed, while the father and son were represented by attorneys-at-law Pamela DaSantos, Brandon DaSantos and Alanna Lall.

A 12-member jury had found Sukhdeo Dharamdat guilty of the charge while his son, Eshwardat was found guilty of manslaughter. Justice Singh explained based on probation report relatives and friends of Sukhdeo described him as a bully and as someone who would have gone to the ends of the earth to obtain ownership of the land.

Sukhdeo, in court, maintained that he is the rightful owner of the land, even though the court had awarded the Nandkishore’s family title of the land. Sukhdeo was sentenced to 65 years jail for the murder of Nandkishore, as Justice Singh explained that he showed no remorse or regret for killing the man.

Meanwhile, Eshwardat before sentencing, said: “I’m sorry about everything that happens, I couldn’t save everybody at the same time.” However, Justice Singh replied: “I believe that your father put you in a lot of stupidness.”

The judge told Eshwardat that his father was a “bad influence in his life since he now is in jail.” Justice Singh ordered that the time the duo spent on remand awaiting trial be deducted from their sentence from the prison authority

Several witnesses were called during the trial, including the victim’s brother, Parmanand Nandkishore. Parmanand explained that, on the day in question, his brother and father, Bhopaul Nandkishore, were repairing a fence on a plot of land. The witness explained that during that time there was a dispute with his family and the Dharamdat family over the land.

However, as they were working on the fence, Sukhdeo came and asked his father what they were doing. The witness recalled that his father told Sukhdeo that they were repairing the fence on their side of the land. Parmanand explained that Sukhdeo made no objection and left. Sukhdeo however, later returned with his son, Eshwardat, who was armed with a cutlass.

The witness said that the Dharamdats subsequently ended up in a heated argument with his father and brother. As a result, his father told Suresh ‘let us leave and go home’, but the Dharamdats pushed Suresh and he fell to the ground.

Parmanand told the court that Sukhdeo and Eshwardat picked up a wooden post that was meant for the fence and dealt several lashes to his brother’s head, blows that cracked open his skull. He recalled that his father went to his brother’s aid, shouting, ‘Y’all don’t kill me son.’ The witness added the Dharamdats then turned their attention to his father and him; his father was beaten with a post by Eshwardat, while he was beaten by the same attacker with a cutlass.

In court, Parmanand showed the 12-member mixed jury his wounds sustained from the attack, as he explained that he played dead to survive the onslaught. As he pretended to be dead, the witness recalled hearing Sukhdeo telling his son ‘we got to kill all them man or we gon go jail.’ Parmanand explained that the Dharamdats pushed his father and brother into a muddy trench and left on their tractor.

The witness explained that because of the injuries his father received at the hands of the Dharamdats he suffers from seizures and memory loss.