Edward Skeete, called “Pretty Boy”, and Nabadingi Gobin, called “Dangles”, the two accused who had been on trial for the July 2015 murder of Ryan Clementson, were on Thursday freed by Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Georgetown.
Nabadingi “Dangles” Gobin hiding his face from the cameras earlier this week
The duo had earlier this week hid from photographers, but after the judge’s announcement, the men were all smiles. ‘Pretty Boy’ ran to his freedom, but Gobin, called Dangles, was returned to prison pending his relatives’ presentation of a bail receipt on a separate charge.
The men have been acquitted of the shooting of former Mocha-Arcadia resident Ryan Clementson, which occurred at the Turning Point business place in Tucville, Georgetown in early July 2015. Clementson, who died between July 24 and 25, 2015, two weeks after being shot to his thigh, had stated in his dying moments that the duo and another were his assailants. However, defence counsels for the accused, Nigel Hughes and Mark Waldron, were successful in preventing certain pieces of evidence from entering the main trial, those being disclosed in the jury’s absence.
Justice Singh, who considered the submissions overnight, ruled on Thursday that the prosecution did not make out a case against the two, and he formally directed the jury forewoman to return a not-guilty verdict.
Prosecutor Narissa Leander however informed the judge of the State’s intention to appeal the court’s decision.
Pretty Boy and Dangles had been accused of opening fire on Clementson and his friend Ayodele Solomon on July 14, 2015 near the Turning Point Snackette in Tucville. Clementson, who had been shot in his thigh, succumbed almost two weeks later from cardiac arrest following a surgery.
