British teen’s murder: Godbrother sentenced to death

“You are unfit to dwell among society” – Judge tells convict

Aaron Hing, the mastermind behind the killing of the British teen Dominic Bernard in 2015, has been given the death penalty.
The sentence was on Friday handed down by Justice Sandil Kissoon on Aaron Hing of Kildonan Village Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) in the Berbice Assizes. In handing down the much-anticipated sentence, Justice Sandil Kissoon said it was the best the court could do to ensure justice.
“You are unfit to dwell among society,” were some of the words Justice Sandil Kissoon used in explaining why the court had considered the death penalty as appropriate.

However, the trial Judge noted that no penalty can compensate for the crime which Aaron Hing had committed on his godbrother back in October 2015.
“You hammered his head until dead… You buried him in the backlands after just hours after he arrived in this country. You took away his possessions, you took away his property, and you sought to dispose of those articles like a common thief. No sentence imposed by this court can adequately address the pain, anguish and suffering of the family. I hereby sentence you to death as prescribed by law,” the trial Judge said.
Earlier, a mixed jury had retuned a unanimous verdict of guilty after deliberating for about two hours.
During the trial, the special prosecutor, attorney-at-law Latchmie Rahamat, called several Police witnesses to testify, and also produced a confession statement from Hing.
Some of those officers testified to the statement given by Hing and Staymon George, who had already pleaded guilty and received a life sentence.
Hing had told investigators that it was George who killed the British teen. He claimed that George had pushed the teenager into a grave, which they had dug, and then jumped in himself. The deceased and George started to scuffle, during which the convict took a hammer and hit the teenager in his head.
In the confession statement tendered by the prosecution, Hing said it was George who killed the ‘British teen’. He revealed that after George had pushed Bernard into the grave which they had dug, he jumped in. Bernard and George started to scuffle, and George eventually got a hammer and lashed him in his head.
According to the statement, Bernard started to scream, and George stuffed his mouth with a pair of socks, and then they beat him until he stopped moving.
However, during the trial, Hing denied that he had given the Police such a statement, saying that it was a fabrication on the part of the Police. He said he did not kill Dominic Bernard, it was Staymon George who did. He told the court that he was fearful for his life and that of his family, and explained that it was George who lured Bernard to go to the backdam to retrieve some guns that were reportedly buried there.
He said that after George hit Bernard twice to his head with a hammer, he started to cry, and George told him that if he told anyone what had happened, he and his family would be harmed.
Hing said it was not he who took the Police to the backdam.
Meanwhile, during the trial, Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, who performed an autopsy on Bernard’s body, said death resulted from multiple blows to the head and neck. He revealed that there were multiple injuries to the head, neck and other parts of the body, all caused by blunt instruments. There were three fractures to the head, and one to the neck, spine and leg.
The body of Dominic Bernard, an 18-year-old British citizen, was discovered buried in a shallow grave in the backdam of Nurney village on the Corentyne, Region Six, on January 8, 2016.
The teenager had reportedly arrived in Guyana on the evening of October 14, 2015. George, who is said to be a close friend of Hing, was the driver who transported Hing to the airport to collect Bernard. The teen was scheduled to fly back to England on November 5, 2015.
After collecting the teen from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, they stopped at a location on Sheriff Street, where they ate some food and drank a few beers. Bernard was never seen again.
His parents came to Guyana after he failed to arrive in England.
On October 20, George was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after serving 35 years. The trial was conducted by Justice Sandil Kissoon.

“Praise be to God”
Meanwhile, in an invited comment before the sentence was passed, after the jury had presented its verdict, Hing said, “Praise be to God.”
However, before sentencing, the state called the parents of the deceased to give an impact statement.
Bernard’s mother Linda Bernard, communicating with the court via Zoom, said her eldest daughter is of the view that had Dominic still been alive, their parents would not have separated.
She said she was very proud of the young man she had taken to the airport on October 14.
“You dug my son’s grave before his arrival. You lured him into a false sense of security of the adventure he would have shared with you, his godbrother. You beat him to death with weapons that you strategically hid in the days leading up to his arrival. I pray that my son was rendered unconscious and he did not know his fate. I know that he fought back; my son fought you back for his life,” his mother said as she directed her words at Hing.
“I taught him at a very young age that you do not raise your hand unless in self-defence. You did not confront Dominic like a man. You came from behind, and you struck the back of his head with your first hidden weapon when he was not aware of your murderous intent. There were two of you against my son. What a coward you are. What chance did he have?”
Meanwhile, Andrew Bernard, father of the deceased, read a statement prepared by Dominic’s youngest sister, Maggie.
“After his death, my previous problems felt so small and pointless. I am now forced to get through a life where my brother is no longer here, and my secure family wall has been burnt to ashes, and the one person I could turn and talk to was ripped from this world. I am now living a life constantly haunted by ruthless nightmares of the pain my brother went through; the type where you are jolted out of your sleep so full of fear your day is full of crushing anxiety and depression.”
Justice Kissoon had earlier denied a request by the defense for a probation report on Hing, saying that it would not help.
He took the opportunity to commend the Police investigators who gave evidence during the trial.
Special mention was made of Detective Inspector Rodwell Salaba without detraction from any of the other detectives. (Andrew Carmichael)