–multiple convictions, acquittals recorded

THE Demerara June Criminal Assizes had commenced on June 3, 2025, with a total of 114 cases listed for hearing, according to a press release from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chambers.

Justices Peter Hugh, Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, Simone Morris, Damone Younge, Zamilla Ally-Seepaul, and Priscilla Chandra-Hanif presided over the sessions.

During the Assizes, the State disposed of 57 matters, with 40 cases presented in the High Court. Of these, 17 were for the offence of murder, seven for attempt to commit murder, five for manslaughter, seven for sexual offences, and one each for wounding with intent, accessory after the fact to murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. The remaining 17 matters were nolle prosequi by the DPP.

A total of five convictions, 16 guilty pleas, 10 formal verdicts of not guilty, nine jury verdicts of not guilty, and one aborted trial were recorded, involving 43 accused persons.

Senior State Counsel Taneisha Saygon, State Counsel Joy Williams, and State Counsel Darin Chan completed four matters before Justice Hugh.

These included offences of murder, attempt to commit murder, manslaughter, and a sexual offence. Two cases resulted in formal verdicts of not guilty—one for murder, where State witnesses declined to testify, and one for manslaughter, following a no-case submission.

In the other two matters—attempt to commit murder with an alternative count of felonious wounding and a sexual offence—the accused were acquitted by unanimous jury verdicts.

Before Justice Isaacs-Marcus, State Counsels Praneta Seeraj, Marissa Edwards, and Mtumika Lumumba prosecuted two matters for wounding with intent and manslaughter. In the wounding with intent case, the accused was acquitted by jury, while in the manslaughter matter, the trial judge upheld a no-case submission, resulting in a formal verdict of not guilty.

Justice Morris presided over 13 matters prosecuted by Senior State Counsel Mohamed Muntaz Ali, Senior State Counsel Saygon, State Counsel Rbina Christmas, State Counsel Alvaro Ramotar, State Counsel Geneva Wills, State Counsel Mtumika Lumumba, and State Counsel Padma Dubraj.

Seven of these were murder trials. One accused was unanimously found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 25 years. Another matter involving two accused resulted in formal verdicts of not guilty after a no-case submission, while two others were acquitted by unanimous jury verdicts.

In one murder trial with a single accused, the person pleaded guilty and received a 24-year sentence. Another pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 19 years. A trial involving four accused was aborted after the first accused changed a guilty plea to not guilty, potentially prejudicing the jury against the remaining defendants.

The accused in the case for rape of a child under 16 years was found unanimously guilty by jury and sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment, with court-mandated counselling. The accused for accessory after the fact to murder pleaded guilty and received a seven-year sentence, with a minimum of four years before parole eligibility.

The accused for manslaughter was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and was required to undergo anger management. The accused for attempt to commit murder, with an alternative count of wounding with intent, pleaded guilty to the alternative count and was sentenced to eight years, with anger management also mandated.

The accused in the matter for conspiracy to commit murder was acquitted following a no-case submission, while the accused for robbery, attempted murder, and felonious wounding was found guilty of attempted murder, with sentencing deferred.

Justice Ally-Seepaul heard seven matters prosecuted by State Counsel Christmas, State Counsel Seeraj, State Counsel Nerissa Peterkin, and State Counsel Christopher Belfield. Four cases were murder, two for attempt to commit murder with an alternative count of wounding with intent, and one for manslaughter.

Two accused pleaded guilty as charged received 20-year and 25-year sentences, while two others pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received 16 years and 16 years and eight months, respectively.

In one attempt to commit murder case, the accused pleaded guilty to the alternative count and received a one-year, eight-month sentence, while the other accused was acquitted. The manslaughter accused received a formal verdict of not guilty after a no-case submission.

In the Sexual Offences Court, State Counsel Simran Gajraj, State Counsel Padma Dubraj, and State Counsel Geneva Wills prosecuted five matters before Justice Younge.

One accused pleaded guilty to rape of a child under 16 years and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Two accused were acquitted by jury, and in two other matters, complainants chose not to proceed.

Justice Chandra-Hanif presided over nine matters presented by State Counsel Latifah Elliot, State Counsel Chan, and State Counsel Abiola Lowe.

Five cases involved murder; two were for attempt to commit murder with an alternative count of felonious wounding; one for manslaughter; and one for possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

The murder accused who pleaded guilty received sentences ranging from eight years and three months to 21 years and six months, with one sentencing scheduled for October 27.

One narcotic accused was convicted by jury and will be sentenced on November 14. This marked only the second narcotics trial in almost three decades in Demerara High Court resulting in conviction.

Some 17 matters were nolle prosequi by the DPP, covering offences such as abduction, manslaughter, sexual offences, attempt to commit murder, wounding with intent, robbery under arms, and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.

Twelve of these cases were discontinued as complainants did not wish to proceed, two complainants had died, and three could not be located.