-judge accepts self-defence claim

AFTER 12 years before the courts, 34-year-old Dacia Bourne has been acquitted of manslaughter in connection with the death of her reputed husband, 35-year-old Clifford Singh.

According to Bourne’s attorney, Kiswana Jefford of the law firm Hughes, Fields and Stoby, the acquittal was secured after the High Court Judge, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, accepted that Bourne acted in self-defence.

Jefford explained that the trial ended when Justice Barlow directed the jury to return a formal not-guilty verdict, bringing the long-running legal matter to a close.

Upon her arraignment, Bourne maintained her innocence by pleading not guilty.

Bourne, then 22, was charged with murder and remanded to prison. The charge was later reduced to manslaughter in the Magistrates’ Court, after which she was granted bail.

During the proceedings, the court heard evidence of a deeply troubled and abusive relationship between Bourne and Singh.

The defence relied on Bourne’s caution statement to police, which consistently asserted that she had acted in self-defence on the night of the incident.

The caution statement detailed that on the evening in question, Bourne left home to purchase something for their baby. During her absence, Singh allegedly placed their newborn on the steps of her grandmother’s home. After Bourne retrieved the child and returned home, Singh dragged her from her bed, kicking and striking her in the head.

A violent struggle followed, during which Singh sustained injuries and later died.

Jefford emphasised that the prosecution’s own evidence supported Bourne’s account. “The State failed to establish that she acted unlawfully. In fact, the caution statement produced by the prosecuting team, established Bourne’s defence of self-defence,” the attorney said.
With no case left to answer, the jury was directed to acquit Bourne.

Jefford also noted that while Guyana does not recognise battered women’s syndrome (BWS) as a standalone legal defence, the outcome of this case underscored the importance of established legal defences such as self-defence, provocation, or temporary insanity, particularly for women facing prolonged abuse.

Police reported that they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Singh, whose body was discovered with suspected marks of violence at about 02:15 hrs on August 14, 2013, at Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Following the discovery, the couple’s then 10-month-old baby boy was removed from the house by the police.

A neighbour, who requested anonymity, told the Guyana Chronicle that shortly before 02:00 hrs she was awakened by screaming. Looking outside, she said she saw a woman striking a man lying on the ground with what appeared to be a piece of wood.

According to the neighbour, the assault continued with about six more blows before the woman’s cellphone rang. She answered the call and then ran off in the direction of the railway embankment.

The witness said that she and another resident later went onto the road, where they discovered their neighbour, Singh, lying motionless.

He appeared dead, she recalled, describing his body as being on its back with his eyes open, his face disfigured, his teeth missing, and severe head injuries evident.