Trial into 2014 murder of fisherman set for Wednesday

The High Court trial into the murder of Chetram Bharrat, a fisherman formerly of Haslington, East Coast Demerara (ECD), who was chopped to death in May 2014, is set to begin on Wednesday as a 12-member jury was empanelled before Justice Brassington Reynolds on Monday.

Murder accused, Errol Khan of Blossom Scheme, ECD, made his appearance at the High Court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the two indictments. The first being murder and the second being larceny, attempted murder and/or felonious wounding.
Khan denied the first charge, which stated that on May 2, 2014, in the county of Demerara, he murdered Bharrat.
The first count of the second indictment read that on the same date and location, he stole $370,000 from the dwelling house of the deceased and Lomattie Ramdat. The second count stated that on the aforementioned date and location, the accused wounded Ramdat, called “Nero”, with intent to murder or feloniously wound same with intent to maim and disfigure.
According to reports, Khan entered the home of Bharrat and his reputed wife Ramdat and began hacking away at the two with a cutlass.

During his appearance at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court in 2014, Khan admitted that he was sharing a relationship with the dead man’s wife and they had a problem. He said she defected to her husband which caused him to get upset and jealous. During the attack, the woman reportedly attempted to go to her husband’s aid but was chopped several times by the attacker.
After the incident, Ramdat claimed that she and her husband suffered the fate as a result of a robbery but was forced to change her story after residents who are familiar with her relationship with the now accused man began speaking about it, expressing the view that it was Khan, her lover, who committed the act.
State Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Sarah Martin are representing the State while Attorney Rabindra Mohabir is representing the accused.