Father freed on attempted murder indictment, while son found guilty

Berbice assizes

Twenty-six-year-old Rohit Girdharry, also called “Natesh”, was on Tuesday found guilty of attempted murder, while his 50-year-old father Rohan Girdharry was found not guilty.
The two were jointly charged for wounding Ashton Simon, Jason Wilson and Valas Motie at Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on August 14, 2016. The jury, however, found the younger Girdharry guilty of the heinous crimes.
After listening to the evidence, Justice Joe-Ann Barlow determined that neither Simon nor Motie had cursed any of the two accused, and, as such, they could not be held accountable.
Another brother of the convict – Rajesh Girdharry, also called “Cox,” 29 – has been charged separately for severing Simon’s hand.
State Prosecutor Tuana Hardy told the court that, while armed with a cutlass, Rajesh Girdharry had inflicted injury on the three victims.
She explained that on the day in question, the accused had an issue with Wilson, who subsequently went to the area to collect some items from Girdharry’s neighbour. It was then the accused allegedly rushed out and inflicted the injuries on Wilson. Other relatives also joined in.
The State’s case was that the accused and Wilson lived in the said area, and after the Police had raided Girdharry’s house, he had accused Wilson of giving information to the Police, and as such had threatened him.
On the day in question, the Girdharry trio brutally attacked and chopped Simon to the neck. They severed his left arm and also chopped his right arm. Wilson was chopped on his upper back, his chest and left ear, while Motie was chopped to his right-side rib cage.
Justice Barlow has deferred sentencing.
Meanwhile, on March 11, 2021, the High Court refuse to accept Rajesh Girdharry’s guilty pleas, after he alleged that the victims had attacked his brother and he had retaliated.
The accused also claimed that one of the victims was armed with a gun, and, again, he had retaliated by chopping him.
Girdharry, also called ‘Cox’, has pleaded guilty to separate counts of attempting to murder Valas Moti, Ashton Simon and Jason Wilson. However, asked if he had anything to say before being sentenced, Girdharry told the court that Wilson had assaulted him and he had gone home and collected a cutlass.
As he returned, Wilson and his sister were both in the upper flat of the house, “laughing and mocking me because he just beat me up.”
However, later in the afternoon, he noticed that Wilson and two friends arrived in a car and started to assault his brother. At that time, he admitted, he attacked the men with the cutlass.
“After I chop he on he hand, the gun fall on the ground, and the car man end up pick up the gun and the two a them jump in the car,” he said.
Girdharry also insisted that his brother and father had nothing to do with the matter. He claimed that he had told this to the investigators. “Me brother innocent and me father innocent! Is me wah do everything. So, a begging for mercy, if you can save me father and brother”, he pleaded.
Justice Barlow has declared that she could not accept the guilty plea, since a gun is now being brought into the picture. Prosecutor Hardy also informed the court that it was the first time she is being made aware that one of the victims was armed with a gun.