A total of eight matters were completed at the October 2021 Berbice and Essequibo Criminal Assizes, a statement from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has said.
The High Court in Berbice
Over at the Berbice Criminal Assizes, three matters for the capital offence of murder were presented before Justice Sandil Kissoon. In one of those matters, there were four accused indicted together, and each was charged with three counts of murder. While one of them pleaded guilty as charged and was sentenced to life in prison, his two co-accused pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and were each sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The other accused was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to death.
In a separate matter, the accused person pleaded guilty to a murder charge and was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years.
One matter remains in progress, in which five accused are on trial for the offence of murder in the furtherance of a robbery. The Berbice February 2022 Criminal Assizes will continue until June 20.
Meanwhile, the Essequibo October 2021 Criminal Assizes had continued before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow. Five matters —two for sexual offences and one each for attempt to commit murder, murder, and manslaughter — were completed.
In the two separate sexual offences matters, the juries returned unanimous verdicts of not guilty for the accused persons. In the matter of attempt to commit murder with an alternate count of wounding with intent, the virtual complainant told the Court he did not wish to proceed with the matter. As such, the trial Judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.
The trial Judge also directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty for the accused in the murder trial, after she ruled there was insufficient evidence. The accused indicted for manslaughter was acquitted by a jury verdict of not guilty.
The Essequibo Assizes remains in progress until May 16. (G1)
