JUSTICE Simone Morris-Ramlall, on Wednesday, sentenced Asif Hamid to 15 years in prison for the brutal murder of an elderly cattle rancher in August 2015.
Two weeks ago, before the commencement of his trial at the Berbice High Court, Hamid had opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. The case was adjourned to Wednesday for a sentencing hearing. Henry Lallman, a 76-years-old remigrant and philanthropist, had gone to Hamid’s Lot 35 Kington, Corriverton home to uplift monies owed to him when he was lured into the yard and killed. In a witness impact statement, Brianna Lallman said her family had gathered in the United States of America to await her grandfather’s arrival for his annual summer visit. “He never came, instead, he was missing for three days….And when we had a chance to see him again, a towel was over his face because of his rotting body…. That’s the last image we have…,” she said.
Addressing the court via Zoom, Brianna noted that her grandfather had trusted the accused as his friend, and the latter should have sought another alternative to repay the money, rather than killing him. “I have mixed emotions. There is nothing that will bring our grandfather back. But I am glad, he (the accused) admitted to the crime,” she added.
Probation Officer, Felicia Gordon, reported that the accused, whose parents are deceased, has good literacy and numeracy skills having attended the Skeldon Line Path Secondary School where he secured seven passes at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations. Thereafter, he attended the Guyana Islamic Institute where he was a dormitory student for two years. According to Gordon, Hamid’s family, while expressing shock at his actions, described him as pleasant and a reserved person, who was a habitual gambler.
She stated, too, that the accused was traumatized, and was sorry for what had transpired.
Meanwhile, defence lawyer, Senior Counsel Mursalene Bacchus, made legal submissions in which he suggested ranges of sentencing. However, State Counsel Tuanna Harding argued that the fixing of sentencing is done by the trial judge. She submitted that the accused took advantage of an elderly man, “a philanthropist, who shared a bond of trust with the accused.”
“The accused had a gambling problem that led to the murder…He was lured to the yard and killed,” Harding said. She added: “It was a breach of trust. An attack on the vulnerable…The deceased did not fight back. The sentence should act as a deterrent to those who prey on the vulnerable and have the bad habit of gambling.” Subsequently, Justice Morris-Ramlall, in considering the nature and gravity of the offence, noted that the deceased had trusted the accused and had extended credit to him.
“He agreed to go alone to the accused’s premises because he trusted him, but that trust was betrayed when the accused snuffed out his life,” she said. In response to the defence counsel’s submission about the sentencing guidelines regarding non-weapon offences, the judge said, “The hand is as effective as any other weapon… It’s effective in fulfilling the purpose.” The judge noted, too, that the accused placed no value on Lallman’s life or dignity, as he killed him and placed him in a shallow grave. Justice Morris-Ramlall started the sentence at 30 years. She deducted 10 years for the plea of guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, and a further 5 years for time spent in prison. There was no other mitigation factor, hence the accused was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
