Deadly piracy attack: It will be a reckless act for the court to allow them to return to society – Judge

…duo convicted of killing 5 fishermen sentenced to death

The two men who were found guilty of the 2018 piracy attack that left five fishermen dead have been sentenced to death by Berbice High Court Judge Navendra Singh.
Premnauth Persaud, also known as “Sand Bat”, 47, of Cromarty Village, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 43-year-old Nakool Manohar, called “Fyah”, of Number 43 Village, Corentyne, Berbice had faced two indictments for murdering five fishermen. Manohar has been convicted of murdering Bandara, called “Spanish Man” or “Dora”; Lalta Sumair, called “Bora” or “Puduck”; and Lokesh De Couite. These murders occurred on board the vessel Joshua SK 1418, which was attacked by pirates between April 14 and June 3, 2018.
Persaud has been convicted of killing Mahesh Sarjoo, called “Kuba” or “Vishal”; and Tilaknauth Mohabir, called “Camion”, “Palam,” and “Cold Record”, between April 14 and June 3, 2018 on board the vessel Romina SK 764, which had also been under attack during the incident of piracy.

State Persecutor Latchmie Rahamat said the victims were chopped, tied to anchors, thrown overboard and left to die. She pointed out that one of the two survivors who presented testimonies to the court related that it was Manohar who gave the orders to kill and rod. She reminded the court that the survivor said while he was in the water, he saw Manohar and others removing their catch and other valuables from their boat and placing them into their boat.
Rahamat pointed out that under the piracy law, persons who are found guilty of such acts should be sentenced to death.

Begged for mercy
During the sentencing on Tuesday, Persaud begged for mercy, telling the court that he is a father of two, while Monohar declined the opportunity to speak.
Justice Singh, in handing down the sentences, said the crime was a cruel, gruesome, cold-blooded attack on the fishermen. He said that based on the evidence which was presented to the court, and the fact that both men continued to proclaim innocence even after the jury found them guilty, they cannot be rehabilitated. The trial judge said it would be a reckless act for the court to allow them to return to society.

During their trial, Special Prosecutor, Attorney-at-Law Rahamat, and State Prosecutor Nafeeza Baig called to testify Dorsssssonodeo Persaud, called “Archie Boy”, and Deonarine Goberdan, called “Tatar”, both fishermen and survivors of the piracy attack. Three survivors recounted that Goberdan was the captain of Romina SK 764 while Doronodeo Persaud was a crew member of Joshua SK 1418. The survivors recounted the harrowing ordeal of seeing their fellow fishermen being beaten, chopped up, tied to weights, and then thrown into the Atlantic Ocean.
Goberdan and Doronodeo Persaud recalled that Premnauth Persaud, whom they had known prior to this incident, was among the pirates who attacked a group of Guyanese fishermen. The pirates wore no face coverings.

Alexander Denheart, called “Shame Face”, an eyewitness, testified that the piracy attack was in retaliation for the execution-style killing of Somnath Manohar, Nakool Manohar’s brother. Somnath Manohar was gunned down on March 30, 2018 (Good Friday) in Suriname during a drive-by shooting. Denheart said that as Nakool Manohar lit the fire to burn his brother’s body, he instructed him and others that they must “go and kill out all the Guyanese fishermen like how they killed out his brother.”
According to him, Nakool Manohar ordered them to “make the sea red”, while warning them that if they did not do what he asked, Premnauth Persaud would kill them.
He testified that he did not want to kill anyone, so he contacted his sister, who sent money for him to return to Guyana from Suriname via the ‘backtrack’ route.
Aside from these five fishermen, 15 others are still missing and are considered dead. The badly decomposed remains of the fishermen were discovered in Surinamese waters, and Police had to rely on DNA testing to properly identify the corpses.
Nakool Manohar was represented by Senior Counsel Mursaline Bacchus, while Premnauth Persaud was represented by Attorney-at-Law Horatio Edmondson.
In a statement after the judge’s sentencing, Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali Hack, said, “The rule of law prevailed in the trial and sentence in this case. Justice has been done to the fisherfolks who lost their lives in a most inhumane and gruesome manner, and to their families, who lost their loved ones while pursuing an honest living.” (G4)