Colin Grant, who admitted to acting as the “lookout” man while his accomplices went into the home of a Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) businesswoman and robbed and killed her, was on Monday sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment by Demerara High Court Judge Jo Ann Barlow. However, one third of the time was deducted for his early guilty plea and the six years he spent on remanded was also deducted.
Initially indicted for the capital offence of murder, Grant pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter thereby admitting that between August 30 and 31, 2013, at Demerara, he unlawfully killed Sirmattie Ramnaress, called “Kavita”. Grant, a father of one, was represented by lawyer Dexter Todd while the case for the prosecution was led by State Counsel Sarah Martin and State Counsel Nafeeza Baig.
ZDead: Sirmattie Ramnaress
The lifeless body of 36-year-old Ramnaress was found at around 10:00h on August 31, 2013, at her Lot 2430, 21st Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD home. Her throat had been slit, her head bashed in, and her hip disjointed. Sections of her property had been destroyed by fire.
The bottom flat of the house had been completely drenched with kerosene, and the entire house had been ransacked, which suggested that the woman was robbed before she was killed. The perpetrators had also set alight a bond behind the house, and it was completely destroyed.
After the robbery, the killers escaped in one of the woman’s motor cars. Recordings from the internal and external surveillance cameras were missing. From the inception, investigators believed the robbery might have been an inside job since there was no sign of forced entry into the premises.
The woman’s property was protected by a high, grilled fence and an alarm system, which according to neighbours, did not go off during the night of her gruesome murder. An autopsy revealed that Ramnaress died as a result of cerebral haemorrhage due to blunt trauma compounded by a fractured spine.
Plot to rob
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, the prosecutors said that Grant and another man, Paul Bascom, had hatched a plot to rob Ramnaress. Bascom and Alberto Grant were shot dead by Police on December 7, 2013, at Golden Grove, EBD, in the yard of a businessman, who they were reportedly going to rob.
Prosecutor Martin said that in November 2015, a Police detective went to a house in Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD, where he contacted Grant and informed him that he was accused of killing the businesswoman. The prosecutor added that Grant fainted after the murder allegation was put to him.
She said that he later regained consciousness and Police ranks searched the premises and found a laptop belonging to Ramnaress on a barrel. He was arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown. The prosecutor said that Grant later told detectives a story.
In a written caution statement, Grant, according to her, detailed that his friend, Bascom, told him that he was going to Ramnaress’ home to rob her. She added that in the statement Grant said that on the morning of August 31, 2013, Bascom came to his home and gave him certain instructions.
According to Prosecutor Martin, Grant told detectives that he followed those instructions by joining a car driven by a man who took him to the head of 21st Avenue Diamond, EBD, to look out for Police vehicles.
After about three days, the prosecutor said, Grant confessed that Bascom gave him a laptop, a gold ring, and $100,000 in cash “as his share for the wuk”.
The gold ring and laptop were later identified as the now dead woman’s property. On November 7, 2015, Grant admitted to detectives that he knew Bascom is involved in criminal activities, that they planned to rob Ramnaress, and that his role was to keep watch for Police vehicles.
Grant was charged with the woman’s murder on November 11, 2015.
“I’m sorry”
Grant, who appeared in court via Zoom, cried uncontrollably. His voice was barely audible resulting in Justice Barlow advising him to take deep breaths. “I am very sorry…I’m sorry for what transpired that night. I have a daughter out there…she never got to see her father; she is seven years old. I have never been there for her. I am sorry for being with the wrong set of friends them on the road…” Grant said.
In a plea in mitigation, Todd said that his client is throwing himself at the mercy of the court. Given the nature of the offence (felony murder), the lawyer declined to go into details about the role Grant played.
Counsel only stated “there is no evidence that he [Grant] played a role in inflicting injuries on [Ramnaress]. [He] did not contribute, support, or even attempted to encourage any form of violence being committed on [her].” The lawyer referred to Grant as “one who found himself with the wrong friend.”
Prior to his arrest for murder, Todd said that his client had no brushes with the law. This, he added, was evident from a probation report and a report from the prison. “[Grant] is one who had good character. He is a prime candidate for rehabilitation. He has never been able to father his child,” the lawyer added.
According to Todd, the real perpetrator of this crime is not before the court. Among the factors, the lawyer asked the court to consider when passing sentence is the fact that his client cooperated with Police investigations and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity available to him.
Blame
For her part, Justice Barlow told Grant that although he was not at the woman’s home, he was a party to what his comrades went to do, so the blame has to be laid at his feet because he was part of the original plan. “You engaged in a plan to commit a felony at the home of the woman whether that plan was to rob her or kill her it was still a plan to commit a felony,” said the Judge in her sentencing remarks.
According to the Judge, Grant could have been found guilty if he was tried for murder. She explained that because the evidence shows he did not have the requisite intention to kill since he was not at Ramnaress’ home, the court accepted his guilty plea to the lesser count. She said that given the factual circumstances of the case, she did not see it fit to impose the maximum sentence which is life imprisonment.
In the end, the confessed killer was sentenced to 21 years in prison. It was further ordered that the prison is to deduct one-third of that sentence for Grant’s early guilty plea. The prison was also ordered to make a further deduction of six years which reflects the time Grant spent in pre-trial custody.
Acquitted
Former Police Sergeant, 57-year-old Colin Bailey had been jointly charged with Grant for the woman’s murder. However, last month, during his trial, prosecutors conceded that there was no evidence against him. As such, Justice Barlow directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.
The Judge expressed much dissatisfaction at the state of affairs of the prosecution’s case and urged prosecutors to ensure that they examine relevant documents before presenting indictments.
“I must plead to the prosecutorial arm of the State to examine the material. Examine the committal records, examine all other relevant material carefully, and fulfil the constitutional mandate that dictates that no one should be before the courts unless there is some lawful reason for that person to be there.”
Emphasising that this “must not happen again”, Justice Barlow said given what transpired in Bailey’s case, she will take on the task of getting familiar with depositions before starting trials and made it clear that she will take “drastic measures” if there is no evidence to substantiate a charge.
Bailey, who spent almost six years in jail for the crime, said he will be suing the State. His lawyers, Nigel Hughes and associates are calling for a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the operations of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). (G1)
