Judge vacates guilty plea after murder accused claims self-defence

Abdul McLennan, who had initially pleaded guilty to killing a man, will now have to face a trial after his plea was vacated by Berbice High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall.
McLennan had been indicted for the December 4, 2017 murder of security guard, Leslie Fraser.
But at his arraignment, he denied the murder charge and opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. As such, he was remanded to prison for May 11 for his sentencing hearing.
However, during the hearing, McLennan claimed that it was Fraser who first attacked him and that he cuffed him in self-defence. In light of this new revelation, the trial Judge set aside McLennan’s guilty plea and further remanded him to prison pending the selection of a jury to hear his case.
Police stated that McLennan, after imbibing at nearly midnight on the day in question, was walking in the direction of Rose Hall, Berbice when he saw Fraser. Fraser had accused McLennan of stealing his bicycle.
According to the facts presented by the prosecution, an angry McLennan then cuffed the security guard to his head, causing him to fall and hit his head on the roadway. An injured Fraser was rushed to the hospital where he died five days later.