12 cases completed at Essequibo, Berbice Criminal Assizes

A total of 12 cases have been completed at the Essequibo and Berbice Criminal Assizes. The February 2020 Essequibo Criminal Assizes is still in progress. Seven matters were presented before Justice Navindra Singh. Of these seven cases, five were for murder and, one each for manslaughter and rape. In one of the murder cases, the jury found the accused guilty and he was sentenced to 75 years’ imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving 50 years.
In the other four cases, there were six accused persons. Five of them pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and were sentenced respectively to four and half years, 15 years, 20 years, 17 years, and four years’ imprisonment. Another accused who was jointly indicted with two of the accused who pleaded guilty pleaded not guilty, and will go on trial.
The accused in the rape matter pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment, while the accused in the manslaughter case was acquitted after the Trial Judge upheld a no-case submission. Meanwhile, the February 2020 Berbice Criminal Assizes remains in progress with 101 matters listed to be heard. Five matters were completed before Justice Jo Ann Barlow.
Of these five matters, three were for murder, and one each for attempt to commit murder with an alternative count of felonious wounding and rape of a child under 16 years. In the case for attempt to commit murder with the alternative count, there were three accused indicted together.
The number one accused pleaded guilty to the first count and was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment. The number two accused was found guilty by the jury on the alternative count and was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. The number three accused was acquitted. The accused in the rape matter pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on June 10.
In one of the three cases for murder, there were three accused jointly indicted. They were all found guilty by a jury and they too will be sentenced on June 10. In the other two trials, the Trial Judge directed the juries to return not guilty verdicts for the accused persons. (G1)