Judge rules committal of murder accused valid
JUSTICE Roxanne George ruled, yesterday, that the committal, by a magistrate, of murder accused Shawn Sooklall is valid and his trial, at the Demerara Assizes, will proceed today. The ruling followed the hearing, in the absence of the jury, of a preliminary point raised by Defence Counsel Mursalene Bacchus.
The lawyer had moved to have the committal and the indictment, which flowed from it, quashed, on the basis that the magistrate did not comply with a section of the Criminal Law Procedure Act.
Sooklall is indicted for the unlawful killing of Tricia Welch on July 17, 2006 and State Counsel Judith Gildharie-Mursalin and Konyo Sandiford are appearing for the Prosecution.