…“I was young, and lacked guidance” – convict tells judge
A 20-year-old man who was charged for the 2017 murder of Hemant Persaud, brother of former Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, and who has pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, has been jailed for 12 years.
This offender was charged back in 2017, when he was a juvenile, and due to certain provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, his photograph, name, and other particulars cannot be published. The custodial sentence was imposed on him on Tuesday when he appeared before Demerara High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon.
The charge detailed that on February 19, 2017, the juvenile, then 15, unlawfully killed 51-year-old Hemant Persaud, otherwise known as “Bhim”, of Affiance Village, Essequibo Coast, during the course/furtherance of a robbery.
The offender’s sentencing hearing was held on Tuesday.
After considering a probation report in favour of the offender, an impact statement from the dead man’s relatives, and addresses from the defence and prosecution, Justice Kissoon sentenced the offender to 12 years in prison, less time spent in pre-trial detention. He had been on remand since March 2017.
It has further been ordered that the offender be placed on probation and supervision for three years after his release from prison, during which time he shall keep the peace, be of good behaviour, and report to the Chief Probation Officer.
The offender has also been ordered to enroll at the Government Technical Institute or the Guyana Industrial Training Centre to complete a course in electrical installation.
Dead: Hemant Persaud
The Judge has ordered that a report on his attendance and progress be submitted to him every three months. If he fails to comply with any of the court’s orders, he would be arrested and remanded to prison for an additional 24 months. In sentencing the young man, the Judge relied on the sentencing guidelines in the Juvenile Justice Act.
Hemant Persaud had reportedly just returned from the interior, and was purchasing items from a vendor. The then teen trailed him to the back of the Stabroek Market with intent to rob him. He walked up to Hemant Persaud and demanded that he hand over a gold chain he was wearing, and when Hemant Persaud refused, he stabbed him in the chest and confiscated the chain before making good his escape.
Public-spirited citizens had rushed the injured man to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Admission
Arrested on March 3, 2017 at his home at Sophia, Greater Georgetown, in the presence of his family members and Police officers, the offender had allegedly admitted to committing the crime.
The body of Hemant Persaud had remained unidentified for approximately two weeks at the GPHC mortuary, as his family had believed he was still in the interior. But when the Police released information seeking the public’s assistance to identify the deceased, the identity of Hemant Persaud was established. His cause of death was given as perforation of the heart due to stab wounds.
Prosecutor State Counsel Muntaz Ali had revealed that the 20-year-old man, in his confession statement to the Police, had said, “I roll up on he [Hemant Persaud], I stick he up and tell he pass the chain, and he start scramble on on me. He pick up a barrier and run into me, and I ran up to he, pull off the chain, and juk he with the knife…”
According to Prosecutor Ali, the man gave the confession in the presence of his mother, and he was also positively identified in an identification parade held at the Police station.
Asked by Justice Kissoon at a prior hearing if he had anything to say before being sentenced, the confessed killer said, “I was young, and lacked guidance. I would like an opportunity to continue my efforts and contribute meaningfully to society, and further my studies…”
In closing his remarks, the offender had begged the court for mercy and leniency, and had expressed that he would like a chance to “correct my wrong”. He was represented by Attorney-at-Law Alaira Murphy-Goodman. (G1)
