307 cases listed for trial as October Demerara Criminal Assizes opens

The Demerara October to December Criminal Assizes opened on Tuesday at the High Court with 307 cases for serious offences listed for trial. Justices Brassington Reynolds, Simone Morris-Ramlall, and Sandil Kissoon have been rostered to sit. The customary ceremonial parade by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was held at the southern side of the Supreme Court of Judicature building along the South Road and Croal Street, Georgetown carriageways.
Justice Reynolds took the salute and inspected the Guard of Honour.
He marched in harmony with Assistant Superintendent Malcolm Melville and Assistant Police Commissioner Simon Mc Bean, who were the parade commanders.

The GPF band and servicemen, dressed in their ceremonial kits, participated in the procession to mark the opening of the October-December 2022 Criminal Assizes.
According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, the word “assize” plural “assizes” is defined as “a court which formerly sat at intervals in each county of England and Wales to administer the civil and criminal law”. It is a historical noun and is applied to certain courts in England and France.
This practice, which originated in England, was adopted in Guyana when it became a colony. It was received as part of the country’s common law and later incorporated into its legislation. Assizes are held in the three counties: Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice.

The High Courts in each of the respective counties sit throughout the year to deal with serious criminal matters: Demerara – the second Tuesday in January, the first Tuesday in April, the first Tuesday in June, and the first Tuesday in October; Essequibo – the third Tuesday in February, the third Tuesday in May, and the fourth Tuesday in October; and Berbice – the first Tuesday in February, the third Tuesday in June, and the third Tuesday in October.
Meanwhile, the cases listed for hearing at the October-December session are for the offences of murder, manslaughter, sexual offences, attempt to commit murder, inflicting grievous bodily harm, trafficking narcotics, abduction, obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery under arms, conspiracy to commit murder, wrongful confinement for ransom and accessory after the fact. Males are predominantly the accused in the case of the sexual offences which include carnal knowledge of a girl under 15, carnal knowledge of a girl under 12, buggery, rape, indecent assault of a male, sexual activity with a child family member, sexual activity with a child by abusing a position of trust, sexual assault and incest.
Present at Tuesday’s opening were Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC; Justices Sandra Kurtzious, Nareshwar Harnanan, Jo-Ann Barlow, Simone Morris-Ramlall, Damone Younge, Sandil Kissoon, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC; Supreme Court Registrar Sueanna Lovell, Deputy Registrar Alicia Lowenfield and First Marshall Aquynce Liverpool.