Cane harvester’s killing: 30-year-old admits to manslaughter, apologises to victim’s family

The High Court on Wednesday handed down a six-year prison sentence to Donald Grovesnor after he was found guilty on a manslaughter charge.
Grrovesnor was charged for killing 29-year-old cane harvester Suraj Jailall. Justice Navindra Singh initially set a 12-year sentence but reduced it by one-third, or four years, based on Grovesnor’s early guilty plea.

This adjustment left Grovesnor with an eight-year jail term, which Justice Singh further reduced by two years, taking into account Grovesnor’s favorable probation report and his expression of remorse to the victim’s family.
With these deductions, Grovesnor’s final sentence stood at six years. However, the time he served on remand since his arrest in March 2019 will be subtracted from his sentence, further reducing his time remaining behind bars.
The case stems from an altercation that occurred on March 27, 2019, when Grovesnor, of Sideline Dam, Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara, engaged in a heated dispute with Jailall at a local shop in their community.
Both men had been drinking, and the argument reportedly escalated when Jailall picked up a stick. According to witnesses, Grovesnor left the scene, returned with a cutlass, and struck Jailall in the head while he was seated, resulting in fatal injuries.
Jailall was initially treated at West Demerara Regional Hospital but succumbed to his injuries on March 28, 2019, after being transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital, where scans revealed a fractured skull. (G8)