Magistrate discharges duo in Isaiah Henry murder case
DEAD: Isaiah and Joel Henry
DEAD: Isaiah and Joel Henry

-DPP requests court documents, contends evidence is sufficient

TWO men were, on Tuesday, cleared of the brutal murder of 16-year-old Isaiah Henry, whose mutilated body was found in the Cotton Tree backlands, West Coast Berbice, last September.
Anil Sancharra, 33, called “Dan-Pole” and “Rasta”, of D’Edward Village, WCB; and Vinod Gopaul, 34, called “Magga”, of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, were freed by Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court.
Magistrate Hugh ruled in favour of a no-case submission made by the men’s attorney, Dexter Todd, following the closing of the state’s case in the preliminary inquiry (PI). The attorney had contended that the state failed to make out a case against the men.
The magistrate, on the grounds of insufficient evidence, discharged the men. However, they remain on remand for the murder of Isaiah’s cousin, Joel Henry. The preliminary inquiry into that murder is scheduled to commence on August 10, 2021.

Vinod Gopaul, called ‘Magga’

Following the ruling, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, S.C., wrote to the magistrate requesting the documents from the PI so as to ascertain why the accused were discharged. The DPP stated that there is sufficient evidence available to pursue the charges against the duo.

Anil Sancharra, called ‘Dan Pole’ and ‘Rasta’

Sancharra’s step-brother Akash Singh, 20, called “Monkey”, of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo is also on remand for the murder of the Henry boys. However, Singh’s case is being heard separately before Magistrate Hugh.
The mutilated bodies of Isaiah, 16, and Joel, 18, were found on September 6, 2020 in the Cotton Tree Backdam, West Coast Berbice. A post-mortem found that the Henry boys died from haemorrhage and shock, due to multiple incised wounds. They both sustained severed spines, along with multiple chops about the body. The killers carved out a huge ‘X’ on Isaiah’s head, while they cut open Joel’s chest.

It is suspected that the boys had died some 36 hours prior to being found. Three days later, Haresh Singh, 17, was found, in a bloodied state as well, in the Number Three Village backlands, hours after he left home on his motorcycle to transport water for his relatives who were working on their farm.

Akash Singh, called ‘Monkey’

The post-mortem on Singh indicated that he died of brain haemorrhage and blunt trauma to the head, compounded by compression injuries to the neck.
Last week, 27-year-old Gladston ‘Soldierman’ Henry, the brother of Isaiah and the cousin of Joel; 21-year-old Charles ‘Bucko’ Scott of 29 Jarvis Street, Rosignol, Berbice; 27-year-old Joel ‘Bolo’ Gittins of Jangotown, East Coast Demerara; and 29-year-old Philip ‘Ratman’ Anderson of Number Three Village were charged for the murder of Singh.

The charge was read to them virtually by Magistrate Peter Hugh, who was at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court.
They were remanded to prison and the matter was transferred to the Blairmont Magistrate Court where it will be called on July 12, 2021, for report. The gruesome deaths sent shockwaves throughout the country, and resulted in widespread public outrage and mass protests.
The Guyana Chronicle had reported that Akash was arrested after an informant went to the police. Gopaul and Sancharra were later detained.
It is alleged that Akash confessed to the crime, while Gopaul and Sancharra remained silent

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