By George Barclay

DHUPAUL Singh, 54, called “Tailor” or “Tailorman” will likely learn his fate on Monday after Justice Jo-Ann Barlow sums up the Mahaica cutlass murder trial to the jury at the Demerara Assizes.
Singh, who is claiming that he acted in self-defence, is on trial for the murder of Balkissoon, called “Balkie,” of Backdam, Helena, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara.After listening to addresses to the jury on Friday afternoon by lawyers for the defence and the prosecution, the judge indicated that she would sum up on Monday morning.
She also exhorted the jury not to discuss the case with anyone, but to keep an open mind until Monday when she would address them and give them certain directions on the law.
State Prosecutor Siand Dhurjon who, along with State Counsel Shonette Austin is prosecuting, called a number of witnesses in support of the prosecution’s case that on September 2nd 2014, “Tailorman” inflicted a wound on the left side of the neck of Balkissoon which severed an artery to his spine and resulted in death.
According to Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, who performed the post-mortem, the wound was of such a nature that Balkissoon would have died almost immediately.
In an answer to Defence Counsel Nadan Kisssoon, the pathologist agreed that the injury could have been inflicted by one acting in self-defence.
In his statement to the police and in an unsworn statement from the dock, the accused claimed that farmer Balkissoon had earlier visited his home, cursed him and called him a lunatic. He said that later that day he “Tailorman” was on the backdam on his way to the police station when Balkissoon rode up on a bicycle.
According to him, he accosted Balkissoon for insulting him at his home and calling him a mad man. He added that “Balkissoon then attacked me with his cutlass and I was too far away, he was in the process of attacking me with the weapon,when in defence of my life I fired a blow at him and ran away. While I was running someone pelted a cutlass at me. Later, two police vehicles came and the police arrested me.”
Prosecution witnesses testified that on the day in question, “Tailorman” had a cutlass in his left hand while walking on the dam when he met Balkissoon. After accosting Balkissoon,he pulled Balkissoon’s cutlass from the back of his bicycle and used the weapon to chop Balkissoon on the neck. Balkissoon fell and was later picked up dead on the dam in a pool of blood.
Witnesses said that “Tailorman” ran away with two cutlasses, but a search was made for the other cutlass without success.
Defence Counsel Kissoon urged the jury to return a verdict of not guilty, since there were a number of inconsistencies by the prosecution witnesses and his client had struck out in self-defence.
Meanwhile, State Prosecutor Dhurjon urged the jury to find that the inconsistencies the defence counsel was talking about were trivial things designed to confuse them and that they ought to return a guilty verdict.