“Anand” gets 22 ½ years for murdering estranged wife Babita Sarjou

…accomplice sentenced to 18 years
– prosecution signals intention to appeal ruling

More than a decade after he murdered his estranged wife and buried her body in a shallow grave next to his home, 45-year-old Shradhanand Narine, called “Anand”, was on Thursday sentenced to 22-and-a-half years minus time served, which amounts to seven-and-a-half years.
The former Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown resident’s accomplice and friend, Daral Ponton, 41, also known as “Yankee”, was, on the other hand, sentenced to 18-and-a-half years. He, too, was credited with time spent in pre-trial detention.
Earlier in the month the pair appeared before Demerara High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall, before whom State prosecutors presented a joint indictment for the capital offence of murder against them.

The duo had both pleaded not guilty, causing a jury to be empanelled, but they later pleaded guilty, and as such, when the case was called on Thursday, the presiding Judge directed the 12 jurors to return unanimous guilty verdicts.
Narine was represented by Attorney-at-Law Siand Dhurjon, while Ponton was represented by Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes and other lawyers from the law firm Hughes, Fields and Stoby.

“I am heartbroken”
At the men’s sentencing hearing on Thursday, Sarjou’s murder Champa Seenarine implored the court to impose the maximum penalty on her child’s killers. The grieving woman stressed that Sarjou’s murder was “carefully crafted”, and that the now-dead woman was her second child to have been brutally murdered.
Fighting to hold back tears as she addressed the court, she reflected on the many happy moments she had shared with Sarjou, whom she described as having been a loving person. “Since the death of my daughter and the proceedings before Justice Morris-Ramlall, I have been very depressed, and I have sleepless nights. I cry every day; I miss my daughter,” she shared.

“I am heartbroken, in pain, stressful. I miss my daughter a lot. My daughter did not deserve to die like that. She will always be remembered; she will be in my heart,” Seenarine has said.

“Forgive me”
“A life has been lost. There is no amount of words that I can express how sorry I am that I have caused you [Sarjou’s mother] and your family pain and suffering. Society was left in disbelief when they heard of what transpired. I felt like it was not worth living anymore; I wanted to leave this world, but counselling from some of the prison officers and my fellow inmates made me realise that that is not the way.
“I have become a God-fearing person, especially after surviving two major fires (while in prison). I have asked God to renew my mind and thinking, to cleanse my heart, and to make me a better person, so that when I am reintegrated back into society, I can be able to serve mankind in a positive way. I kept praying for Babita’s family…I hope that one day you [the deceased family] can find it in your hearts to forgive me,” a tearful Narine said as he begged for mercy. He admitted that Sarjou’s death was a result of his “anger” and “jealously”.
A crying Ponton, in a similar plea to the court, expressed, “I am kindly asking for the forgiveness of Babita Sarjou’s mom and all her siblings. I am kindly asking the court and society to forgive me for my actions. I know I have done wrong. I am a different person; I have changed. I am trying my best to pray for everyone. Your Worship [Justice Morris-Ramlall], I am sorry.”

Probation reports

A probation report read aloud in court revealed that Narine, who was into real estate, had grown up in a family with high moral standards and stability as a result of his father being a pandit. He told the probation officer that ever since he was charged with his partner’s murder, some of his family members have been embarrassed by his actions and have distanced themselves from him.
In the report, the confessed killer expressed that his wish is to make things right with his family, and to return to society one day to dedicate his life to philanthropic work.
According to him, one of his main goals is to create a safe place for men who are in abusive relationships, providing support for them “to get out” and have professional help.
He claimed that he and Sarjou, whom he had married according to Hindu rites, met when she was in her teens. He said that, after tying the knot, their relationship was progressing well until he noticed her “acting carefree”. When he attempted to address the issues with his wife, it led to arguments that never became physical, related Narine, who also accused his wife of abandoning their family.
He has two children — a boy and a girl — with Sarjou.
Two years after Sarjou died, Narine married Loraine, and they had a daughter, who is now nine.
While Narine’s now 16-year-old son said he has no recollection of his mother, and that there is a void of his father’s love, his eight-year-old daughter is unaware that he is in prison.
Meanwhile, Ponton, the probation officer disclosed, has expressed remorse for his actions, which resulted in the loss of a life. He has also recently lost his brother under tragic circumstances.
The convict told her that the last six years of his life have been the hardest, because he has lost his freedom and his relationship with his family members, and cannot fulfill his duties to his daughter.
Ponton’s mother, in the probation report, said she was “shocked” at her son’s involvement in this crime.
The convicts’ counsel, in their plea in mitigation, relied on their clients’ favourable probation reports, while asking Justice Morris-Ramlall to temper justice with mercy. The lawyers were keen to highlight that their clients are model prisoners who can be rehabilitated. In fact, prison officials have said that both men were well-behaved.
State prosecutors, on the other hand, advocated for a “very strong” sentence to be imposed on the duo, as they referred to the factual circumstances of the case, the aggravating factors, and the prevalence of domestic-violence-related killings in Guyana in alluding to statistics of the more-than- 21 women who were allegedly killed by their partners/ex-partners last year.

“Atrocity against women”
For her part, Justice Morris-Ramlall, in her sentencing remarks, strongly condemned the killing of Sarjou, describing it as an “atrocity against women in our society”. According to her, there is no justification for perpetuating violence against women, and any attempt to justify or excuse it must be “strongly frowned on”.
The Judge’s remarks were seemingly in response to Narine’s lawyer Dhurjon’s claims that Sarjou and his client were in a “toxic relationship”, and that she was “financially parasitic” towards him. The lawyer also claimed that Sarjou had threatened to kill Narine for “insurance money”.
In arriving at an appropriate custodial sentence for the pair, the Judge considered the “egregious and exceptionally depraved” nature of the offence, the circumstances under which it was committed, and the public interest in curbing intimate partner violence.
She noted that Narine “orchestrated” a plan to kill his estranged wife and conceal her body. “A great deal of planning was involved. There was nothing impulsive about his [Narine’s] actions,” Justice Morris-Ramlall stressed, highlighting that what is even more horrifying is that Narine executed his plan in the presence of his young son.
As for Ponton, the Judge pointed out that he was a “willing and active participant” in the plan.
Not satisfied with the sentencing, the prosecutors gave oral notice of their intention to appeal the ruling by Justice Ramlall.

Background
The duo had, back in 2017, been committed to stand trial in the High Court for the murder of 28-year-old Sarjou, whose body was dug up from a shallow grave in her estranged husband’s yard in May 2016, some six years after she had gone missing.
It was reported that the duo lured the woman from her Timehri, East Bank Demerara home to Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown on November 4, 2010 — the eve of Diwali.
Sarjou had left home to view the annual Diwali Motorcade with her estranged husband and son. When Sarjou arrived in the vicinity of the National Cultural Centre (NCC), she met Narine and Ponton sitting in Narine’s car. The couple’s son, then four years old, was also in the vehicle.
As Sarjou reached into the car to grab her son, Narine tricked her into getting into the car by telling her that something was wrong with the vehicle.
He then exited the vehicle with his son, leaving Ponton and his wife behind. He then ordered Ponton to choke his wife, and instructed him to honk the vehicle’s horn when he was done.
They then covered her lifeless body with a blanket and transported it to Narine’s Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown home. While there, the pair buried her body in a shallow grave that had already been dug next to Narine’s yard days before the killing. They also used mud and cement to conceal her body.
According to the prosecutors, Narine, in his caution statement, had told Police detectives that he paid Ponton, his friend, $100,000 as part payment to kill Sarjou, but Ponton, in a similar statement, claimed he was only rewarded $50,000.
When Sarjou did not return home, Narine was questioned, but he denied having seen the woman. As such, a missing person’s report was made to the Police. For years, the case remained inactive, as investigators hit a stumbling block.
The case was, however, reopened in 2016 after Police received information about what may have happened to Sarjou. Narine, who was released after Police had no solid evidence against him, was rearrested in 2016, and based on further interrogation, he confessed to killing Sarjou and subsequently led investigators to the spot where he buried Sarjou aback his home.
After hours of digging in Narine’s yard, the team, led by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, dug up a skull, several bones, a pair of high-heeled shoes, a brassiere, and bits of clothing, all belonging to the dead woman. DNA tests confirmed that the remains were indeed Sarjou’s, but the cause of death was given as inconclusive. (Feona Morrison)