Father of 1 to know jailtime next Wednesday for killing Canal #1 taxi driver

Roopchan Taylor, the man who has pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing Aaron Damdar, a 66-year-old cab driver of Mes Delices, Canal No. 1, West Bank Demerara (WBD), will know his fate next Wednesday when he is sentenced for the crime.

Taylor, called “Vishal”, a 30-year-old construction worker and father of one, had been remanded to prison after initially being charged with killing the father of three in 2019. Committed to stand trial for the capital offence in September 2023, he chose to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter at his arraignment before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the High Court in Demerara.
The accepted facts detailed that on October 20, 2019, at Ogle Sideline Dam, East Coast Demerara (ECD), Damdar had attacked Taylor’s mother after she allegedly boarded his car while intoxicated.
In responding to his mother’s cries for help when he heard them, Taylor and the geriatric Damdar became embroiled in an argument, which resulted in Damdar being hit in the face and sent sprawling to the ground.
Damdar was hospitalised after the incident, but died a few days later.
Taylor was brought back to the Demerara High Court for sentencing on Thursday, October 5, 2023. However, this has been deferred until the new week, after submissions from counsel for the defence and prosecution, and the presentation of a probation report in favour of the convict.
Taylor’s mother has described him as “quiet,” but the probation officer reported that family members claimed he verbally abused them, especially when he was high on marijuana and alcohol.
According to the social services officer, Taylor’s ex-reputed wife and mother of his eight-year-old son related that their relationship had been “good”, until the birth of their child.
The probation officer reported that prison officers had told her that Taylor has displayed positive behaviour, and is enrolled in rehabilitative programmes.
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Damdar, widow of the deceased, described her late husband as hardworking, and expressed conviction that her family should be compensated for her husband’s killing.
Taylor’s lawyer, Teriq Mohammed, stated during a plea in mitigation that his client had intervened in that situation to protect his mother, and that his actions had not been planned. As such, counsel implored the court to “please have mercy and leniency” on his client.
When the Judge asked if he had anything to say, a soft-spoken Taylor responded: “I am very sorry for what happened. I was just trying to save my mother. I apologise”, and went on to beg Mrs. Damdar, who was seated in the courtroom, for forgiveness.
State Attorney Praneet Seeraj requested that the court take into account a variety of aggravating circumstances while determining the proper sentence, such as the seriousness and frequency of the offence, as well as the fact that Taylor had been intoxicated at the time of the attack.
Taylor’s sentencing hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 11. (G1)