Meten-Meer-Zorg murder trial
By Shemuel Fanfair
The High Court trial regarding the killing of 20-year-old Zulfikar Namdar who was left in a pool of blood during the course or furtherance of a robbery in September 2013 continued on Tuesday with Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD) native Nick Skeete testifying before the 12-member jury.
He was deported to Guyana in 2012 and was initially charged with the September
10, 2013 crime but those charges have since been dropped. He testified on behalf of the Prosecution, having identified the seven accused as being part of the crime-planning operation, claiming that he was acquainted with all of them.
They are: Allan Dorsett called “Baird”; Delwayne Croft; Esan Lawrence, called “Muscle”; Jermaine Williams, called “Yankee”; Andrew Chandler, called “Sonic”; Samuel Bacchus, called “Kirk”; and Cassandra Singh-Dorsett who all denied murdering Namdar.
The self-coined drug pusher during his evidence in chief had also claimed that he had a good relationship with his cousin who would buy marijuana from him. He
said too that Jermaine Williams also bought narcotics from him, adding that he grew up with another accused, Andrew Chandler who was the dead man’s childhood friend.
The star witness said he knew Samuel Bacchus through his cousin. Skeete added that his cousin Allan had a black vehicle and few financial problems. Skeete testified that he sold narcotics and lived 200 yards from the Namdars, adding that his cousin is the number one-accused Allan Dorsett, while Williams is his wife’s cousin. He said too that on September 3, 2013, the men bought “some weed” from him and smoked at a tree in his backyard when he supposedly heard them discussing their robbery plan.
Led by Prosecutor Tuana Hardy, Skeete outlined that on the night of September 10, 2013, the men were brandishing weapons, noting that Croft had a long firearm and the others had smaller guns. About 5 minutes after they left, he heard gunshots; later learning of young Namdar’s demise.
He was arrested six days after the incident. However, Chandler, Croft and Dorsett out-rightly denied robbing anyone during the police interview. He told the jury that he was not forced to give his statement to Police.
Dorsett’s lawyer, Nigel Hughes suggested Skeete planned the attack and crafted a story after the two getaway cars were seen outside of his home in a bid to have his charges dropped.
He denied this but later admitted to asking one of the store’s workers if his boss man stored money at home, claiming he had no reason for asking this.
Police Inspector Nolan Burnett was earlier in the day grilled by Attorneys Hughes, Adrian Thompson and George Thomas over his conduct in carrying out investigations. He was accused of being present when Croft and Chandler were beaten, shocked, tortured and allegedly forced to give confession statements which he denied.
Burnett testified that he could not recall if fingerprints were lifted from the crime scene. The senior police rank took the caution statement of Allan Dorsett. Under cross-examination by Attorney Thompson, Burnett denied that he was present when water was thrown on Croft.
As the gruelling cross-examination continued by George Thomas, Inspector Burnett then denied that Chandler was placed in a room to kneel down when Inspector Singh threw water on the accused.
“You dropped his pants; you shocked him on his penis,” Thomas suggested.
“Sir, I never did that, I wasn’t there,” the policeman quipped.
He further noted that he never interviewed Namdar’s relatives. Thereafter, Thomas suggested that Burnett’s investigation was poor to which the witness did not agree. Thomas even suggested that Police offered another suspect, Chris Jagdeo, a promise to not prosecute if he gave a statement but Burnett stressed that he did not know anything about that.
It was on Monday that the jury heard that Mrs Dorsett allegedly gave the men head ties to cover their faces. Hughes, Ashley Henry and Jed Vasconcellos are representing the number one accused Dorsett while Thompson is representing Williams, Chandler and Bacchus. Meanwhile, Thomas is appearing for Croft, Lawrence and Singh-Dorsett. Attorneys Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed are prosecuting the case presided over by Justice Navindra Singh.
