60 years’ jail for taxi driver found guilty of stabbing ex-lover to death

Alan Sim, 60, was on Thursday found guilty by a 12-person jury of the November 2015 murder of Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) ambulance dispatcher Melissa Skeete.

Following the summing up of the evidence by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, the case was put to the jury for deliberation on a verdict. The verdict was unanimous.
Based on reports, on the day in question, Sim picked up the mother of four from her place of work in his motorcar, PRR 6801, but sometime after, she was discovered near Carmichael Street, Georgetown, lying face-down and bleeding profusely from several stab wounds. The woman died while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
Three months after Sim was charged with the murder of Skeete, his son, Alan Sim Jr., was charged with being an accessory to the crime. According to the charge against the younger Sim, between November 23 and November 25, 2015, at Georgetown, he received, comforted, maintained and relieved his father after his father had murdered Skeete.

The younger Sim was not required to plead to the indictable charge. He is currently awaiting trial for the offence at the High Court.
Murder accused Alan Sim was represented by Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson, while State Counsel Tuanna Hardy appeared for the Prosecution. The trial was conducted by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the High Court in Demerara. During the trial, Police Inspectors Salesh Roopnarine and Suraj Singh told the jury that they interviewed Sim in relation to the murder of Skeete, during which he told them a story.
According to the Inspectors, Sim told them that he and Skeete shared a relationship that resulted in a child being born. He further told the detectives that, one day, he went to the woman’s house at Lot 94 Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara and, to his surprise, she ran in the house.
Sim told the Police witness that he hit one of the windows and broke the glass. He said that when he peeped into the house, he saw a man from Paradise, East Coast Demerara. The Police ranks testified that Sim related to them that he asked Skeete, “how she cud do that”, when he had already paid her rent and bought her a pump.
Sim further related to detectives that on November 23, 2015, he went to Skeete’s workplace, the GPH, and picked her up in his motorcar; and as they were driving through Carmichael Street, Georgetown, an argument erupted.
According to Inspectors Roopnarine and Singh, Sim said that Skeete pulled out a surgical blade and attempted to stab him, but he took away same from her and stabbed her instead. He further related to them that the woman ran out the car while bleeding, and he drove away and hid the vehicle.
They said that Sim told them, “Me never expect this thing to go down suh.”
Inspector Roopnarine testified that he made an entry regarding what Sim told him, but Sim refused to sign same, based on advice from his lawyer.
Skeete’s teen son testified that during the month of November 2015, he lived at the aforementioned address with his mother and siblings. According to the teenager, Sim was his mother’s boyfriend. He testified that at the time of his mother’s death, she was living at the aforesaid address with her other boyfriend, Junior [only name given].
Asked by the Prosecutor when was the last time he had seen Sim, the teenager stated that he had last seen him the night he broke the window of his mother’s home. Reflecting on that night, the teen testified that he was in his bed when he “heard a glass break.”
The young man added that he thought it was the glass table, but he next saw Sim at the window cursing his mother. He added that his mother and Sim were “cussing out” while her next boyfriend was at home.
After the “cussing out”, the teen stated, Sim went downstairs and said that if he cannot get to kill his mother he will come for her children, before driving away. He noted that at the time of the incident, his other siblings were at home.