6 charged for killing Bath Settlement man during WCB protests

Six persons, including a teenager, were on Wednesday remanded for the killing of a Bath Settlement, Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) man who was beaten to death amidst protests at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice (WCB).
Among the six charged is a 17-year-old school dropout who was charged separately for murder.
In addition, several other persons were charged for possession of an unlicensed firearm and destruction of property in relation to the crime.
Those charged for the alleged murder of 34-year-old Prettipaul Hargobin, called “Roy”, reportedly committed on September 9 at Bath Settlement Public Road, WCB are Devon Karran, also known as “Ricky”, 22, of Bath Settlement; 26-year-old Ricardo Shivlall, called “Rico”, of Number Ten Village; 60-year-old Jagdat Khaloo, called “One Eye”, of Bath Settlement; and 38-year-old Shivtohal Shivchand, called “Cheeto”, of Bath Settlement.
Also charged with murder was 35-year-old Marlon Dharamdai, called “Bully”, a cane-cutter of Bath Squatting Area, who was charged separately. He, along with his 39-year-old wife, Herrwattie Dharamdai, were earlier charged after investigations revealed that he allegedly relieved Hargobin of a shotgun which he had in his possession.
Dharamdai allegedly took the shotgun home, and the weapon was allegedly found in the possession of his wife.
On Wednesday, she was granted bail in the sum of $75,000. Both she and her husband will have to return to court on October 7.
Meanwhile, Harlall Motilall, 40, a self-employed resident of Bath Settlement, was on Wednesday charged with mischievous damage to property and was placed on $300,000 bail. He also will return to court on October 7.
On September 9, Hargobin, called “Roy”, of Block BI Bath Settlement, reportedly was in his motor vehicle on the Public Road at Bath Settlement when it was observed that he exited the vehicle with a shotgun and discharged one round into the air before discharging three rounds towards a crowd of protestors who were about 60 metres away.
As a result of his actions, he was attacked by the crowd and beaten. The Police, who were some distance away, having observed the commotion, rushed to the scene, where they discovered the victim lying on the ground with several injuries about his body.
Attorney-at-law Joel Edmond is representing Shivtohal Shivchand, called “Cheeto”. According to Edmond, his client should not have been charged, since he was providing information to the Police voluntarily and was invited to the station to give a statement on what he had seen.
“Shivchand, he saw the Police and told them that there is a guy named ‘Bull’, go to his house because he was running away with the gun. ‘Bull’ subsequently heard that Shivchand was the one who informed the Police that he was the one who had the gun. He was not at home and the Police turned up there, got the gun from the wife, and arrested her. The following morning, the Police went back and told Shivchand that they wanted him to (give) ‘evidence in the case’. They brought him to the station and they interviewed him. They took a statement from him, and then told him that they were going to charge him for murder,” the lawyer said.
Edmond later found out that Shivchand could neither read nor write. However, he told this publication that what the Police took from Shivchand was also video recorded.
“According to my client, he was 60 feet away on his bicycle looking on, and they had over 300 people on the road. He said when no one wanted to help the Police, he was the one who provided information to them, and even offered to take them to the house,” Edmond is contending.