–for role in rice farmer’s murder

FIVE years after 42-year-old rice farmer, Hardat Kissoon, was killed during an armed robbery while travelling in a minibus on his way home, the man who aided and abetted his murder has finally confessed to the crime and was, on Thursday, sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Paul James, called ‘Crack’, of D’Urban Street, Lodge, on Thursday appeared before Justice Navindra Singh at the Demerara High Court for the capital offence of murder, but opted to plead instead to the lesser count of manslaughter.

James admitted that on June 1, 2015, in the County of Demerara, he unlawfully killed Kissoon.
He was represented by Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson, while the State case was presented by Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy.
According to reports, on June 1, 2015, Kissoon went to a city Bank and withdrew an undisclosed sum of money. James, who was also there at the time and acting as a “spotter”, witnessed the transaction, and filtered the information to his accomplice, who trailed Kissoon until he joined a minibus.

While in the minibus, the accomplice reportedly requested to be put off in the vicinity of the University Guyana Access Road, and while passing Kissoon, he whipped out a firearm, held the rice farmer at gunpoint, and demanded that he hand over the bag of money he had in his possession.

During the struggle that ensued, Kissoon was shot in the chest, while the perpetrator made good his escape with the bag of money. Kissoon reportedly died on the back seat of the minibus.
Prosecutor Hardy told the court that it was James’ role in the commission of the crime which led to Kissoon’s death.

Justice Singh, in handing down his decision, ordered that James serve 10 years’ imprisonment, and that the prison authorities deduct from it the time he spent on remand.