RAMESH Ramdeen, aka “Braffy”, a 25-year-old fisherman from Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD), has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for killing his fellow villager.

Initially charged with the capital offence of murder, Ramdeen pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, admitting responsibility for the death of 27-year-old Noel Singh on October 20, 2019.

Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, presiding in the Demerara High Court, instructed prison authorities to deduct the time the offender spent in pre-trial detention when calculating the overall sentence.

The offender had been on remand since October 28, 2019. This directive aligns with the principle of crediting time spent in custody, ensuring fairness in the judicial process.

State prosecutors Praneta Seeraj, Mikel Puran, and Rbina Christmas reported that around 18:40 hours on the day in question, Ramdeen and Singh became embroiled in a heated argument.

The altercation escalated when Singh, a fisherman, struck Ramdeen multiple times with a cutlass.

In response, Ramdeen retaliated by stabbing Singh multiple times with a knife before pushing him into a gutter outside Singh’s residence at Lot 33 Meten-Meer-Zorg.

The knife was in Singh’s pocket. Witnesses discovered Singh in the gutter and alerted emergency services, but his injuries were ultimately fatal. He was declared dead on arrival at the Leonora Cottage Hospital.

Ramdeen was apprehended two days later at Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

He later gave the police a confession statement detailing his role in the crime. An autopsy confirmed that Singh’s death was due to perforation of the heart from stab wounds.

At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Attorney Mikel Puran relied on the statement of aggravating factors he had earlier submitted to the court.

A probation officer, who interviewed Ramdeen reported that he expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he never intended to cause the victim’s death.

According to the officer, Ramdeen claimed that the altercation began while he was speaking to a female, at which point Singh attacked him with a cutlass. He told the probation officer that it was a case of “self-defence”. The probation officer also interviewed individuals in the convict’s neighbourhood, who described him and his siblings as generally well-behaved. However, residents noted that he frequently consumed alcohol and smoked marijuana.

A prison welfare officer reported that while prison staff described Ramdeen as “quiet and obedient,” he was previously found guilty of assaulting a prison officer.

Prosecutor Puran read a victim impact statement from the deceased’s sister, in which she called for justice for her brother. “I miss my brother a lot. I need justice for him. Noel always helped out his family. My brother was a very kind, hardworking and loving person…”

Defence Attorney, Kiswana Jefford urged the court to show leniency toward her client, noting that Ramdeen had expressed remorse and pleaded guilty, thereby sparing the court from a lengthy trial.

She stated that her client’s guilty plea demonstrates his acceptance of responsibility for his actions. Jefford noted that her client’s youthful age makes him a perfect candidate for rehabilitation. When Justice Barlow offered him the opportunity to speak before sentencing, Ramdeen, appearing virtually, apologised to both the court and the deceased’s family.

“Please your honour [the judge]. I am begging you,” he cried.

In her sentencing remarks, the judge noted that the court accepted the guilty plea to the lesser offence, as the evidence suggested that Singh’s actions may have provoked Ramdeen.

She emphasised that while the maximum sentence for manslaughter is life, the court would not impose such a sentence, as the circumstances of the case did not justify it.

Justice Barlow highlighted several aggravating factors, including the severity of the crime, the use of a sharp weapon, the growing trend of individuals resorting to violence to resolve disputes, and the profound impact Singh’s death has had on his family.

The judge stated that the evidence suggested Singh was the aggressor and that he may have been under the influence of alcohol, as the post-mortem report indicated a strong scent of alcohol in his body. In light of the foregoing, the judge set a starting point of 18 years.
She then deducted three years for the mitigating factors, reducing the sentence to 15 years. The mitigating factors included Ramdeen’s young age, his positive probation and prison reports, his sincere expression of remorse, and his cooperation with the police since his arrest. From the remaining 15 years, Justice Barlow applied a one-third (five years) reduction for Ramdeen’s early guilty plea, resulting in a final sentence of 10 years.

This sentence will be further reduced once the prison accounts for the time the offender spent on remand. In addition to the custodial sentence, Justice Barlow ordered that Ramdeen participate in academic and vocational programmes tailored to his needs to aid his rehabilitation while incarcerated. She also directed that he participates in behaviour modification programmes.

Justice Barlow noted that these programmes are intended to help ensure Ramdeen is able to make a meaningful contribution to society upon his release from prison.