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Neesa Gopaul murder….Accused committed to High Court trial
Bibi Sharima Gopaul and her former lover Jarvis Barry Small were yesterday committed to stand trial at the next appropriate sitting of the High Court for the murder of Gopaul’s daughter, Neesa Lalita Gopaul. The two accused made their final appearance before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The continuation of the Magistrate’s ruling concluded yesterday with the court finding that enough evidence had been led by the prosecution to find a case of murder against the accused.
Bibi Gopaul and Jarvis Small
On Thursday, last, the Chief Magistrate determined that a Prima Facie case had been made out against the accused, and they were both asked to lead their defence in the matter. The accused both reserved their witnesses for the High Court and gave unsworn statements alleging their innocence.
Small however added to his statement that he did not kill Neesa Gopaul, and had nothing to do with the crime. In the presence of his lawyer Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos, Small again added to his unsworn statement to which he later signed his name.
Addressing the evidence, Small said that he knows nothing about the dumbbells (spherical exercising weights) that were purported to be his. He said he lived at Gopaul’s home and while there, he exercised with weights, however when he went back to his wife and children, he took nothing from Gopaul’s house.
Small continued that the statement against him by Neesa Gopaul was given at a time when he and the co-accused had a court case at Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court, and the statement, he said, was given out of animosity, because he never had sexual relations with the teenager.
Small closed the statement by saying that he only told the police that he did not murder Neesa Gopaul. During the confrontation, he said he told officers that the dumbbells were not his, and he maintained his innocence.
All this time, the dead girl’s mother looked blank. She seemed detached from what was taking place, staring without distraction at the Magistrate. Small on the other hand seemed calm and collected.
When the court’s decision was made, the two accused appeared almost expressionless, as if they knew what was coming. Small’s wife, Marceline, fought to hold back tears, the hurt on her face was however obvious.
The murder of the former Queen’s College (QC) student came as a shock to the country and had its share of condemnation for its gruesome nature. Several public institutes had been denounced for what was described as “the system failing the deceased.” Citizens also mounted protests after the teen’s murder.
The almost two-year long preliminary inquiry (PI) saw several witnesses testifying against the accused. They included co-accused Bibi Gopaul’s father, who was deemed a hostile witness since he was not co-operative in giving evidence on the prosecution’s behalf. Simone De Nobrega, a main witness in proving the case against Gopaul, had testified about an alleged conversation pertaining to the manner in which the former QC student was killed.
Investigators such as detectives and crime scene photographers also testified, while a Barbadian forensic analyst was retained to prove the dead girl’s identity and that she was the daughter of the co-accused, Bibi Gopaul.
Neesa Gopaul’s body was found at Madewini along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway tucked inside a suitcase that was partially submerged in a creek. A rope was wrapped around the body and on its other end, dumbbells were attached, apparently in an effort to keep the body under water.
A family on an outing made the discovery when they became aware of an offensive smell.
Inside the suitcase, a passport (Number 0730108) bearing the name Neesa Lalita Gopaul, along with a bank card, was found.
Following investigations, Bibi Gopaul and her then lover were accused of murdering the teen. When the two accused first appeared in court, Prosecutor Lionel Harvey had indicated that Neesa Gopaul went missing on September 23, 2010 and a report was made by the mother at the Leonora Police Station on September 25.
Harvey had explained that articles found at the crime scene had led to the arrest of the accused. The girl, with most of her head missing, was discovered on October 2, 2010.
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