WAZIM Perreira was, on Monday, sentenced to 19 years in prison for brutally dousing his reputed wife, Olivia DeFreitas, in gasoline and lighting her ablaze in 2019.
Last month, Perreira appeared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Demerara High Court for the capital offence of murder.
He admitted to the charge, which stated that, on October 10, 2019, in the county of Demerara, he murdered DeFreitas.
According to information, around 13:00 hours on the day in question, Perreira visited the woman and requested to talk to her. The woman refused and Perreira went away. He returned shortly after with a container of gasoline and he threw it on the woman and set her ablaze.
The woman raised an alarm and neighbours came running to her rescue. The woman was then rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where she was being treated for second-degree burns. She later succumbed to her injuries.
Perreira was represented by Attorney-at-law Adrian Thompson, while the State was represented by Madana Rampersaud.
During the sentencing hearing on Monday, Justice Morris-Ramlall pointed out that the attack was premeditated and was carried out in the presence of the victim’s brother, who was a minor at the time.
The Judge underscored that DeFreitas had suffered 35-40 per cent burns on her body, leading to her hospitalisation for over a month before her untimely demise.
The judge also considered the profound impact of this horrendous crime on the surviving family of the deceased. DeFreitas’s minor children have been deprived of the care of both parents.
Furthermore, the victim’s brother remains traumatized, having witnessed the gruesome attack on his sister.
Given these aggravating factors, Justice Morris-Ramlall did not give weight to any mitigating factors for Perreira.
She highlighted that Perreira’s mental evaluation revealed concerning personality traits, including manipulation and a propensity for hostility, aggression, and impulsiveness. The evaluating doctor recommended continuous psychiatric attention.
In the end, the judge sentenced Perreira to 19 years in prison and ordered that the prison officials deduct the time he had spent in pre-trial custody. Additionally, he was mandated to continue undergoing anger management counselling.
Perreira is no stranger to the court and police. In 2018, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail for escaping from the Kitty Police Station. Following his release, Perreira murdered DeFreitas.
In 2015, Perreira was charged with attempted murder, but the charge was later dismissed after he compensated the victim.
