Miner sentenced to two years in prison for fatal backdam chopping

…after multiple deductions off sentence, likely only months remaining

A 28-year-old miner who fatally chopped another miner, Sherman Phillips, 40, called ‘Sunno’, at Sandhill Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven, has been sentenced to two years behind bars. The sentence was handed down recently by Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Essequibo.
Sean Lindore, also known by the aliases “Samuel,” “Leather,” and “Tallman”, had initially faced a murder charge but instead opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. Lindore, formerly of Three Miles Bartica, Potaro Road, will have his pre-sentencing time in custody deducted from his total sentence.

Justice Singh began with an 18-year sentence but applied significant reductions due to several mitigating factors. A total of sixteen years were deducted from Lindore’s sentence for various mitigating factors. Six years were subtracted for his early guilty plea, which not only saved the court’s time but also spared witnesses from the trauma of reliving the incident. The court further reduced the sentence by four years, acknowledging what it deemed to be genuine remorse expressed by Lindore. Another four years were deducted based on favourable probation and prison conduct reports.
Additionally, two years were deducted due to the provocative conduct of the deceased, who had reportedly initiated the attack by chopping Lindore with a cutlass and throwing sand in his face.
These deductions brought Lindore’s final sentence down to two years, with the time he already spent on remand also to be credited. As a result, Lindore is now expected to serve only a few remaining months in custody before his release.
Representing the State was Prosecutor Caressa Henry, while Attorney-at-Law Tonza Sarabo appeared on behalf of the accused. According to the prosecution’s presentation, the incident took place during an argument on October 8, 2023, at Sand Hill Backdam.
Both Lindore and the victim, 42-year-old Sherman Phillips—known as “Sunno Sherman,” “Sunno,” or “Sunno Boy”, were miners stationed on nearby dredges. Phillips, who lived at Red Hill, Karau in the Lower Mazaruni area, reportedly confronted Lindore around 5:30 p.m. on the day of the incident.
The confrontation stemmed from a dispute over the proximity of Lindore’s operations to Phillips’ dredge. When challenged, Lindore reportedly laughed, which appeared to aggravate the situation.
In response, Phillips armed himself with a cutlass and inflicted two chops on Lindore before allegedly throwing the weapon at Lindore’s chest.
Lindore later told police that Phillips also tossed sand into his eyes. He retaliated by grabbing the same cutlass and delivering several blows to Phillips. During the violent exchange, Phillips reportedly begged Lindore not to kill him. Lindore allegedly told him to “roll out”, after which Phillips walked away from the scene.
Soon after, another fellow miner, Lawrence Basdeo, and his wife, Indra Singh, came to Phillips’ aid. They transported him from the backdam to Itaballi Landing, and then to the Bartica Regional Hospital.
As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Although initially treated for non-fatal wounds, Phillips succumbed to his injuries on October 25, seventeen days after the altercation. A post-mortem examination conducted by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, determined that the cause of death was septic shock triggered by meningitis and bronchopneumonia, both of which were linked to multiple infected wounds sustained during the attack.
Lindore was arrested at Sand Hill Backdam. Upon being informed of the murder allegation, Lindore reportedly claimed he was attacked.
At the time of arrest, Lindore had a number of visible injuries, including a 12-centimetre laceration on his left arm and a four-centimetre wound on his chest. He was subsequently treated at the Bartica Regional Hospital.