THE Court of Appeal on Wednesday heard the final oral arguments in the case filed by Bibi Shareema Gopaul and her ex-lover, Jarvis ‘Barry’ Small, who were convicted for the 2010 murder of 16-year-old Neesa Gopaul, and is expected to announce a date for decision soon.

The pair is currently serving a combined total of 202 years in prison for the gruesome murder of the teen, having been found guilty at the Georgetown High Court in March 2015, and sentenced to 106 years and 96 years imprisonment, respectively, by Justice Navindra Singh.

Dissatisfied with the ruling of the court, the duo appealed the conviction and sentence, arguing that the trial was unfair, and that the judge erred in law.
Small is represented by Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes and Associates, while Gopaul is represented by Attorney-at-Law Arud Gossai. The State is represented by Prosecutor Stacy Goodings.

The appeal was heard by the court several times via Zoom. On Wednesday, Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory heard the final arguments. The court, at the end of the hearing, announced that when a date has been set, notices will be sent out to the respective parties in the case.
The Guyana Chronicle had reported that on October 2, 2010, the remains of Neesa Gopaul were discovered at a location along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, tucked inside a suitcase that was partially submerged in a creek.

A rope had been wrapped around the suitcase, and dumbbells were attached at one end, apparently in an effort to keep the body under water.
Besides the body, a passport bearing the name, Neesa Lalita Gopaul, was found. The teenager was reported missing just days before the gruesome discovery was made.
Subsequent to the discovery of the body, the teen’s mother, Bibi, and Small were arrested and charged with murder.