-periodic court review to begin Feb. 2026

FOR killing a man on Church Street, Georgetown in 2019, Ishaka John, 28, of ‘A’ Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was given a minimum eight-year prison sentence.

In addition to the prison sentence that was imposed last Friday, Demerara High Court Judge, Jo Ann Barlow, issued further directives to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS).

The GPS was ordered to carry out John’s mental evaluation and treatment, expose him to skill-training, and arrange for needs-specific counselling sessions.

Starting in February 2026, John will be brought before the High Court for a periodic review every two years. At each review, the Judge must be supplied with a number of documents, including a report on John’s behaviour while incarcerated, his response to counselling or rehabilitative programmes, and records of his attendance, participation, and performance in programmes provided by the Prison Service.

The court also has to be provided with relevant details regarding John’s psychiatric assessment, treatment, and reaction to it.

When the court determines that this offender is prepared for reintegration into society, it will order his release from custody under any terms it sees proper.

In November 2023, a jury found John unanimously guilty of murdering 32-year-old Jason Bowen; however, the panel also declared him to be insane.

The verdict was returned in accordance with section 177 of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act which reads: “If any accused person appears, either before or on arraignment, to be insane, the court may order a jury to be empanelled to try the sanity of the person, and the jury shall thereupon, after hearing evidence for that purpose, find whether he is or is not insane and unfit to take his trial; but a verdict under this section shall not affect the trial of any person so found to be insane for the offence for which he was indicted, if he subsequently becomes of sound mind.”

In October 2019, John was charged with the murder of Bowen, a resident of Camp Street, Georgetown, who was strangled to death with a belt on October 12, 2019, at Church Street, Queenstown, Georgetown.

According to information, John chased after Bowen, and the latter ran in front of a building on Church Street. When John caught Bowen, he dealt him several lashes about his body. John then strangled the man with his (Bowen) belt. John attempted to escape, but was apprehended by public-spirited citizens and handed over to the police.

Following his arraignment, John was subsequently committed to stand trial for the capital offence in the High Court. John broke out of Lusignan Prison where he was being held without bail for the murder of Bowen. Lawyers Nigel Hughes and Kiswana Jefford represented John during his trial before Justice Barlow. State Counsel Padma Dubraj and State Counsel Praneta Seeraj prosecuted.