“Catty” released on time served after 12 years on remand for killing soldier

Sherwin Nero, called “Catty”, who has spent the last 12 years on remand for the 2008 killing of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lance Corporal Ivor Williams, was on Thursday released on time served after his arraignment before Justice Navindra Singh at the Demerara High Court.

Initially indicted for the January 23, 2008 murder of Williams, Nero, 34, opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, thereby admitting that he unlawfully killed the soldier. Nero, formerly of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was charged on June 14, 2008 for the killing at the age of 22.
According to the facts presented by State Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy, on the day in question, several gunmen ambushed a GDF vehicle that was returning to Base Camp Ayanganna from Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The gunmen and the soldiers engaged in a shootout during which Lance Corporal Williams was mortally wounded.
While Nero’s lawyer, Nigel Hughes said that from the evidence it appears as though his client might not have been the one to inflict the fatal wound, Prosecutor Hardy told the court that a witness had said that Nero was among the gunmen who opened fire on the army patrol.
In fact, the Prosecutor revealed that a witness had testified that Nero was part of the gang which shot at the patrol. Following his guilty plea, Nero was sentenced to time served.
He had already spent 154 months in jail.
In lending a word of advice to Nero, Justice Singh told him to look at this opportunity as a second chance to make good of his life and contribute meaningfully to society as he was still young and could accomplish a lot. Hughes told the court that at the time of the killing his client was young and impressionable.
Added to that, the lawyer said that it was regrettable that this matter was met with many delays at the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) stage.
In February 2019, Nero and another man were acquitted by a jury for the August 30, 2007 murder of businessman Kumar Singh, also known as “Mango Man”.
According to reports, 51-year-old Singh was shot after gunmen stormed his home at 51 Craig Milne, Cove and John, Mahaicony, ECD, and terrorised his family.