92 persons to stand trial as February Assizes open

Ninety-two persons are expected to stand trial during the February 2026 session of the Berbice Criminal Assizes, which opened on Tuesday with the traditional march past outside the High Court on Esplanade Road, New Amsterdam.
The session, which began on February 3 and is expected to run until June, will see accused persons answering to a wide range of serious criminal offences, including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, sexual activity offences, robbery under arms, abduction, and financial crimes.
Of the 92 accused listed for trial, 38 persons are charged with murder, making it the single largest category of cases for the session. These include several multi-accused indictments, some involving as many as five defendants jointly charged in relation to a single killing.
A further six persons are charged with manslaughter, including one matter listed as a retrial, while 11 persons face charges related to attempted murder, many of them under alternative counts that include wounding with intent or felonious wounding.
Sexual offences account for a significant portion of the assizes calendar. Six persons are charged with sexual activity involving adult complainants, while 14 persons are indicted for sexual activity involving children under the age of sixteen, several of whom face multiple counts under a single indictment. In addition, seven persons are charged with sexual activity with a child family member, in some cases involving multiple alleged incidents spanning several counts.
Other matters listed for trial include one charge of robbery under arms, five persons jointly charged with break and enter and related receiving stolen property offences, one case involving embezzlement and larceny by a clerk or servant, and three persons charged with abduction, alongside assault-related counts.
Four of the accused have indicated their intention to plead guilty to the offences for which they are indicted. Among them are Satish Ramnarais for murder, Mulshankar Sukharan for attempted murder, and Anthony Jeffery for sexual activity-related offences.
The session is being presided over by Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty. Attorney-at-law Marisa Edwards is representing the state during the session.
Meanwhile, when the session opened, 51-year-old contractor of Number 51 Village Corentyne, Dexter Philadelphia, pleaded not guilty to rape.
He allegedly committed the offence on August 6, 2016.
The prosecution has seven witnesses to call, including three police officers and a doctor. The case has been adjourned to February 9, 2026.