A lad who is being accused of murder was all smiles as he made his first appearance at the Wales Magistrate’s Court late last week.
West Bank Demerara (WBD) native Christopher Chung, 16, appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse to answer the charge which stated that on July 17, 2016 at Unity Street, La Grange, WBD, he allegedly murdered labourer James Stewart, 51.
Chung made his first appearance at the Wales Magistrate’s Court
The deceased was discovered along the road-side near his Lot 101 Unity Street home.
The Prosecution’s facts contend that the teen confessed to the murder on August 1, 2016.
However, during the lad’s arraignment, at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court last month, Defence Counsel Melvin Duke maintained that there were “gross violations of law” committed, as the defendant had been held in Police custody for over 84 hours and was not afforded the privilege of an attorney at the time.
According to reports, the youth allegedly told Police that Stewart had knocked him off his bike, which caused him to fall to the ground. Chung added that he went to a friend’s home, borrowed a hammer and returned to where he had last seen Stewart. It was then that he reportedly struck the man once to the head with the hammer.
However, relatives of the deceased have maintained that robbery was the motive behind Stewart’s beating, since it was not the first time he had been robbed.
One family member also noted that violent robberies were a developing problem in the community; this was evident as many people would appear at the hospital beaten and robbed, the relative pointed out.
Stewart’s post-mortem report revealed that the he died from haemorrhaging and multiple injuries to the head.
Meanwhile, the lad will return to court on October 7, 2016.
