Assault victim disappointed at court’s sentencing

Jan 12, 2013 News

Justice is the last thing a mother and her son said they received, after a man with whom they had a dispute, was yesterday jailed for one day on a conviction of assault causing actual bodily harm.
Indra Sookdeo and her 34-year-old son, Visham Sookdeo, of New Hope, East Bank Demerara, say they are totally dissatisfied with the Magistrate’s ruling, and further disappointed at the manner in which their case was handled.
The matter was heard at the Providence Magistrate’s Court where Magistrate Leslie Sobers is presiding. The Sookdeos said that Magistrate Sobers gave the defendant, Andy Ramkishu, one day to sit on a bench as punishment for assaulting Visham Sookdeo with a cutlass.
On September 3, last year, the Sookdeos said they had come to loggerheads with their tenants when the female occupant took in a 15-year-old niece whom they described as, “troublesome and rowdy.” Ms. Sookdeo said she had asked the tenants repeatedly to leave because of the child’s behaviour.
When nothing materialized, Sookdeo’s son intervened and asked the tenants to leave. That very morning young Sookdeo said that after talking to the tenants he was about to go out when the next door neighbour stopped him and accused him of, “Wanting the 15-year-old girl,” hence his behaviour.
Sookdeo alleged that he told the woman to mind her business and went on his way. On his return home, a short while after, Sookdeo said the neighbour’s husband jumped his own fence and attacked him on the roadway with a cutlass.
The man then said he was dealt several lashes (broadsided) with the cutlass. The attack left physical injuries on his body. The diminutive Sookdeo said that he did nothing to defend himself, except to go to the Grove Police Station.
The matter, Sookdeo alleged, did not engage police attention until a month later, after he had made numerous complaints at various police institutes.
In court, Sookdeo said that the defendant had admitted to hitting him but alleged that he had used a piece of wood. “He claimed that I threatened to burn his house and throw kero on him. Now this is not true, and when I tried to explain to the Magistrate, he tell me sit down, he didn’t want to hear anything.”
“This thing upset my mother and she started to cry and told the Magistrate that it was all lies since she had seen the whole thing from the house.”
“You can imagine, the Magistrate tell them to arrest my mother and the orderly and the other police pulling she and pushing her out of the court.” Sookdeo said in the commotion, both his mother’s slippers came off her foot because of how the police handled her.
Being concerned for his mother, Sookdeo said he collected the slippers that were at the court steps and took them to his mother at the station which is located to the front of the building. “When I give her the slipper, hear them, book him too.”
“To my surprise, they charge me and mother for disorderly behaviour and put us on $5,000 bail each. The next day we were fined $10,000 each.”
“Now this man assaulted me. I never fight back, and this man get one day to sit on a bench. My mother see everything. She try to tell the court they truth and she get fined. The court didn’t want to hear me, they didn’t even look at the pictures of my injuries and when I took the slipper of my mother they fine me $10,000 too.
“Now that is justice? What kind of justice is that? I am totally dissatisfied,” the Sookdeos charged.

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Assault victim disappointed at court’s sentencing

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