City Mall attempted murder, robbery
The trial of defendants Marisco George and John Caesar, who are accused of attempting to murder Dhanmatee Phulchand in the course of a violent robbery committed at Reshma’s Collection Store in the City Mall in Georgetown, continued on Wednesday before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court.
The woman took the stand before the 12-member all-male jury and recalled that, prior to being attacked on July 4, 2009, she had seen George, the number one accused, engaged in ‘passa-passa’ dancing at the City Mall.
Phulchand said that at 17:15h on July 4, 2009, George went to her store and indicated that she wanted to purchase a pair of jeans, but George subsequently told her that she would get a friend to help her select the jeans. The friend she brought, according to Phulchand, was Caesar, the number two accused, who had worked in a store at the very mall.
Her establishment being on the first floor, Phulchand said she asked Caesar if the store he had worked at had closed down, and he responded in the affirmative, informing her that he was now working as a chef. Phulchand added that Caesar left his number for her to contact him if she ever needed his services as a chef.
Phulchand further related that after George had tried on the jeans, she requested a bigger size. Phulchand said she bent down to get the requested item, then she felt a heavy object hit her over the head, and she fell on her knees.
“I looked up and saw him (Caesar) over me, hitting me constantly with a heavy object in his hand. I fell flat and tell he, ‘Take whatever you want, I have a small child, one-and-a-half,’ and he say, ‘Shut you [expletive] mouth and stay on the ground’,” Phulchand recalled.
She said George put one foot on her neck while Caesar continued beating her, and some of her front teeth were knocked out. At that point in great emotion, she showed the jury her dentures. She said she lost consciousness, and when she awoke, she felt her pockets and found that her mobile phone was missing. She also checked her bag, and there was nothing inside.
The witness disclosed that her bag has contained US$2000, which she had obtained from a transaction at a Cambio in the city, and Gy$100,000 which she had garnered from sales up to 13:00h on the day of the attack.
She said she screamed and alerted persons in the mall, who then assisted her to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
The businesswoman also told the jury that her store did not have surveillance cameras.
Under cross-examination by George’s attorney Damien DaSilva, the businesswoman denied suggestions that her memory is no longer good. This came after she said in her evidence-in-chief that her memory was affected and that she had a hole in her head.
The woman’s husband, Seeram Pulchand, and nearby store seller Nishalla Brown, also testified before the jury.
Seeram said he had left Gy $400,000 with his wife to convert to US dollars. He said that when he saw his wife’s store, there were blood stains all over. After a conversation with a Police rank, he travelled to the Georgetown Hospital, where he saw his wife with what looked like chops to the head. He said his wife changed the money into US currency because she travelled often to America.
Under cross-examination by attorney DaSilva, Seeram denied that Police had allowed him to thump George in her head. DaSilva suggested that Seeram had also told George he would kill her if his wife died, but Seeram denied this as well.
Attorney-at-law Brandon DeSantos and Alana Lall are representing Caesar, while State Counsels Abigail Gibbs and Mandell Moore are prosecuting the case. (Shemuel Fanfair)
