At Berbice Assizes
Witness testifies murder accused confessed to burning victim
POLICE Detective Sergeant Charles Browne told Justice Winston Patterson and a mixed Berbice Assizes jury that the accused indicted for murder confessed, to him, that she set her husband afire, resulting in his death, because of an existing domestic problem.

The oral confession was admitted in evidence after Justice Winston Patterson overruled an objection to its admissibility by Defence Counsel Charrandas Persaud, who had submitted that it breeched the Judges’ Rules.

Browne was testifying at the trial of Michel Skeete, who is facing an indictment for unlawfully killing Lincoln Gilead called Jerry.

The case for the Prosecution, being presented by State Counsel Dionne Mc Cammon, is that on May 14, 2006, the victim awakened Edith Clarke and, having related something to her, was taken to New Amsterdam Hospital, suffering burns about his body.

Gilead was transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where he died from septic burns and was buried on May 25, 2006, at Stanleytown Cemetery in New Amsterdam.

Browne, through evidence-in-chief by Mc Cammon, said he did not believe what the accused said about 02:15h, as she appeared to be confused.

However, he said, having left her in the compound of New Amsterdam Hospital, in company with the now deceased Detective Constable George Bastiani, he proceeded to the Out-patient Department where he saw Gilead lying on a trolley, with injuries about his body.

The witness said, after being told something by the burnt man, he arrested the accused and took her to Central Police Station, where, under caution, she said: “Me and my husband had a domestic problem at our residence and I lit him afire.”

Refused
Browne recalled making an entry in the Station Diary of what the accused said, before taking her into custody, after she refused to make a written statement.

Browne said at 04:30 h, Skeete, accompanied by her brother, son and Bastiani, took him to the crime scene at Cumberland, East Canje, where he was shown a partly burnt mattress in the living room.

Under cross-examination, the witness said he has been in the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for 23 years and spent nine of those years as a detective.

He agreed it would have been a better to use a notebook during his investigation but, while he had accepted what the accused said to him, in relation to her reputed husband’s injuries, it was not conclusive.

The witness said he did not have a female with him when he arrested the accused and, for that reason, he allowed her under age son and brother to accompany her.

Browne could not say if the mattress was tendered in evidence during the preliminary inquiry (PI).

In re-examination, by Mc Cammon, he said, after observing the behaviour of the accused, he presumed that she was confused and thought it best to have her confirm what she had previously stated.

He said he might have forgotten to mention that the two relatives of the accused had accompanied her to the station.

Further cross-examined by Persaud, the policeman said, when he recorded in his deposition that there was no one present to hear the accused confess orally, he was referring to Police ranks.

Fairness
In answer to the jury, the witness said the minor was allowed at the crime scene in all fairness to the accused, his mother.

He also said there was burnt furniture in close proximity to the mattress and that he knew the accused and the victim prior to the burning.

Another witness, Harold Gilead, brother of the dead man, remembered responding to a telephone call and going to New Amsterdam Hospital where he saw his sibling with his skin peeled from burns on his feet, abdomen and hands.

He recalled speaking to his brother and the doctor who, subsequently, transferred him to the GPH.

In cross-examination, the witness said he received the phone call from a neighbour and saw the accused crying in the vicinity of his brother’s hospital bed.

Answering the jury, Gilead said, when he arrived at the hospital, he his brother lamented: “You see what Michel do to me.”

The witness said he did not know if she heard as she was crying and saying, from a corner of the room: “Oh Jerry.”

One more Police witness, Sergeant Glensford Burnette told the Court he photographed the scene and the photographs were tendered at the PI.

Questioned by Persaud, he said he could not recall whether there were civilians in the Police vehicle which took him to the home of the accused but recounted that six policemen were there.
The trial is continuing.

Charged with mansaughter...
Two charged with poultry farm shooting manslaughter
MUNESHWAR Persaud, 28, of Belvedere Squatting Area and Simon Pulingum, 17, of Lot 52 Second Street, Number One Road, Corentyne, Berbice, too, have been charged with manslaughter committed on Dhanpaul, 62, of Number One Road.

They appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo at Albion Court, Corentyne, on Tuesday, where they were remanded to prison until February 9.

Dhanpaul was shot and killed on January 29, when Pulingum was, allegedly, playing with a gun belonging to the owner of a poultry farm where they were both employed, Police said.
The victim was wounded on the upper left arm and died at the scene.

At Berbice Assizes…
Justice Patterson specially commends October sessions jurors
JUSTICE Winston Patterson has specially commended jurors who served during the October criminal sessions of the Berbice Assizes.

Discharging them on Monday, the judge complimented the group on their excellent attendance despite a few hiccups.

“You have been a better league of jurors. The challenges were not alarmingly high and there were instances of no challenges. Your exposure has allowed you to gain immeasurable experiences.

“Thank you for your service,” Justice Patterson told the panel, after taking the Jail Delivery from Superintendent of Prisons Kempton Browne.

The witness, who is attached to the office of the Officer-in-Charge of New Amsterdam Prison, reported that there are 17 prisoners at the penitentiary who have requested early trials.

Browne said the list, signed by his superior, Senior Superintendent Ronald Hazel, contains 16 males, 11 of whom are facing murder indictments.

The oldest accused is Alfred Campbell called Sobers, 63, who is awaiting a retrial ordered by the Court of Appeal and the youngest alleged capital offender is Rooplall Abrahim, 17.
The lone female accused of unlawful killing is Michel Skeete.

Fire averted in Berbice High Court
A DISASTER was averted at the Berbice High Court yesterday after smoke was seen emanating from one of the lighted electric lamps.

The smell of burning materials filled the courtroom during a murder trial that was in progress and crackling sounds alerted persons at the media table to the source of the fire in a lamp above their heads.

Justice Winston Patterson, presiding, stopped taking evidence from Police Detective Sergeant Charles Henry, who was on the witness stand and Court Marshal Keon King switched off the power supply.

No damage was done but, had the incident occurred after working hours, it may have been catastrophic.

In the dock, at the time, was Michel Skeete, indicted for the unlawful killing of her reputed husband, Prison Officer Lincoln Gilead.
The trial continued on the resumption in the afternoon

Guyanese woman fined for election offence in St Kitts
. . . in further trouble with immigration
By Rawle Nelson
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (Caribbean Net News )-- A Guyanese woman still in police custody in St Kitts despite being convicted and fined after elections charges were brought against her, is now in further hot water.

Joylyn Ross was charged with being at the polling station with a Motorola phone on Election Day. She was convicted on the first charge and fined EC$3,000, which the magistrate ordered must be paid within six months. A second charge brought against her was dismissed.

However, the police are refusing to release Ross despite magistrate Yasmine Clarke concluding that the issue of her immigration status will have to be determined by the Ministry of National Security.

The police are contending that Ross has no legal time on the island and therefore cannot be released. She has, however, been asked by the police to pay the fine and also to secure a ticket to Guyana.

When the case was first called on Tuesday morning to an overflowing court room, Chesley Hamilton appeared for the defence, while the police had their case presented by Inspector Trevor Mills. Hamilton is contending that the action of the police flouts the court’s ruling.

The inspector argued that the defendant had no legal time on the island and thus should not be granted bail pursuant to a bail application put forward by Hamilton. The magistrate then asked, “…can I release her if she doesn’t have time on the island?”

Responding to the magistrate’s question both Inspector Mills and Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Liburd rose and responded by stating, “No.”

“If she was granted bail by this court we will re-arrest her, your honour, as she is in breach of immigration policy,” Liburd said.

The magistrate then noted that the law gives the police certain powers, which also centres on immigration.

“There are two matters here, one that deals with criminal and the other that addresses immigration and I want to state that I have no authority, no jurisdiction on immigration related matters,” the magistrate told the packed courtroom.

As magistrate Clarke made her statement, Hamilton requested time to converse with his client so as to get the details of the case, as he pointed out in court that he was only retained as the woman’s lawyer the same morning.

Liburd reiterated that the woman has no immigration status, noting that bail should be refused when Hamilton sought again to convince the magistrate to release the woman on bail.

After the prosecution and defence were evidently on loggerheads with regard to whether and how the matter should proceed, the magistrate enquired if the police were ready to proceed with the case if she was going to hear it, and they responded in the affirmative.

During at the break, the Assistant Commissioner of Police was asked by this reporter if the public were properly sensitized on the new law, which was passed by parliament in December 2009.

He said that he is satisfied that the public was fully aware, noting that leading up to the elections there were several notices cautioning voters on the use of their mobile phones.

“The public had sufficient time to become aware of the new law and therefore I believe that they were fully aware of it,” he said.

It was then decided to adjourn the case until 1:30 p.m. after Hamilton’s 1:00 p.m. request was turned down. When the case got started at 1:30 p.m., Ross made her first appearance and, after a brief presentation, Hamilton requested the court’s mercy on the woman, taking into account that it was her first brush with the law.

The magistrate in handing down her judgment ordered that Ross pay the state the sum of $3,000 within the space of six months.

In speaking to this reporter, Ross said that she had hoped to be given an opportunity to address the court in her defence. When asked as to her thoughts on the decision, the mother of one broke down in tears, saying; “…all I want is to be able to be set free and see my daughter, God, my God, why are they treating me like a criminal, I am no criminal and this is not fair,” a tearful Ross said.

She said that, while she has been given six months to pay her fine, the immigration authorities should allow her some time on the island so as to get a few things in order, as she has a number of things at her apartment among other things that needed to be sorted out.

She said that she is fully aware that her situation is one of political mischief being created so as to silence persons who want to speak out.

“This can never be fair and it pains my heart to know that I am being kept away from my three-year-old daughter, as I do not know how she is doing, I trust that the Prime Minister will come through with his promise of looking into my matter, as I need his intervention because I have no problem in leaving but I beg to be given a chance to leave properly,” Ross said.

Police Public and Press Officer, Inspector Vaughn Henderson, said that immigration police gives the Commissioner of Police as the Chief Immigration officer the right to decide whether someone should be deported or not, adding that the actions of the police are not ‘out of line’.

Larceny defendant granted bail after some booty recovered
CLAYTON St. Kitts, 38, of Lot 69 Robb Street, Bourda, Georgetown, was granted $50,000 bail yesterday, on a simple larceny charge.

Before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson, he pleaded not guilty to the allegation that, last January 10, he stole 23 chair cushions valued $74,000, property of Adella Clarke.

The virtual complainant told the Court some of the cushions were recovered from in the defendant’s motor car but he claimed he bought them from another man.
The case will be called, again, on February 25.

Court told…
Jailed burglar threatens to kill on release
GARFIELD Rose, 40, was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment on conviction for break and enter and larceny.

The prisoner (no address given) pleaded guilty to the offence before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson, admitting that, between January 30 and 31, he broke into the dwelling house of Desiree McKenzie and stole household items worth $20,500.

Rose disputed the value of the booty and the virtual complainant reported that he threatened to kill her when he comes out of jail.

Second discovery of skeletal remains in two days
POLICE, accompanied by residents, found the skeletal remains of a person, suspected to be male, at Belle West Backdam, West Bank Demerara, on Tuesday about 09:30 h.

Police reported that a white, black and blue coloured trunks and a white ‘Nike’ boot were also at the scene.

The identity of the deceased is still being sought, Police said.

That discovery followed another, on Monday, of Davinand Singh, 49, of Parfaite Harmonie, also on West Bank Demerara, at New Hope Backdam, East Bank Demerara, about 12:10 h.

Singh had been reported missing on January 2, by a relative with whom he was staying at New Hope.

He was described as mentally unstable and was positively identified by his teeth, in thick bushes, clad in black underwear and what was left of his toe nails.

Relatives said he may have suffered a nervous breakdown after domestic squabbles with his wife, over an alleged triangular love affair that caused him to move out of the matrimonial home.

Kaieteur News article on GRA’s PAC hearing is irresponsible
The Guyana Revenue Authority is appalled at the poor journalistic and unprofessional ethics demonstrated by the Kaieteur News in its coverage of the Public Accounts Committee’s probe of GRA.

“The paper has not been objective in its reporting and has misrepresented the issues discussed at the meeting,” according to a statement from GRA Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur.

“Firstly, The PAC was probing audit queries from the 2006 Auditor General’s Report. These queries were also relevant to the Ministry of Finance of which the GRA is a sub agency.

GRA is concerned that the contents of this meeting were misreported in the press since these sessions are part of a continuous fact finding and accountability process. When the newspaper generalises these sessions by editorialising stories and makes accusations without credible sources, it defeats the purpose of these deliberations.

“It is unclear whether Ms. Bibi Shaddick for instance did question GRA staff pertaining to missing printers as reported, since these items were procured by the National Board of Procurement and Tender Administration; as such GRA could not be responsible for fulfillment of a contract it did not award,” the statement went on.

The Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur, was represented by five senior personnel representing Customs and Trade Administration, Tax Operations and Revenue Accounting. GRA cooperated fully with the Auditor General and had provided written responses on all the queries in the 2006 report which were also in the possession of the PAC. These officers are all qualified and were capable and prepared to provide clarifications on the written responses to the audit queries contrary to the Kaieteur News article which suggested that these officers were intimidated and were not capable of answering the questions posed to them.

The PAC has requested further information pertaining to some areas of the report which were not addressed at the session. GRA is in the process of preparing responses to these queries for submission. The GRA has made prompt responses to all queries raised by the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee over the years.

GRA has continually sought to improve its systems over the years and develop controls to mitigate risk in our systems. This is evident in the implementation of the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), the Total Revenue Integrated Processing System implemented (TRIPS) and the Licence Revenue Office Management Information System (LROMIS), the statement concluded.