Chainsaw operator slapped with manslaughter charge

Forty-nine-year-old Bennedict John, a chainsaw operator of Ituni, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), was on Tuesday slapped with a manslaughter charge and granted bail in the sum of $300,000.

The accused appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on June 20, 2021, he killed Frederick De Souza at Ituni.
Following the granting of bail, he was ordered to report at the Ituni Police Station every Monday and Friday until the determination of the matter. The case will again on August 26, 2021.
Police reported that on the day in question, they responded to an unknown caller who stated that a male was seen lying on the roadway at BQ, Ituni. Upon their arrival, Police ranks observed De Souza in an unconscious state.
At the time, the man bore wounds to his head, abdomen and feet, and was subsequently taken to the Ituni Health Care Centre, then to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Sometime after the incident, Police arrested John, who was observed to have a wound above his right eye.

When questioned about his injuries, John said that De Souza had told him not to enter his yard, following a misunderstanding. He said that despite the warnings, he entered De Souza’s yard, and used a fence picket and dealt him a blow to the eye.
In retaliation, the suspect said he took away the piece of wood, and began to beat the victim. After his confession, he was escorted to the Ituni Health Care Centre, where he received treatment for his injuries. The Police have since instituted charges against John.