Latest update February 18th, 2025 1:40 PM
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Murder accused freed after retrial
After enduring more than five years of incarceration and two lengthy High Court trials for murder, Parsram Lalchand, called Desmond, walked out of the courthouse a free man, last evening.
Lalchand was on trial for the July 27, 2008 murder of Viranjan of Lusignan.
Acquitted
Parsram Lalchand
He is one of six men Vishal Singh, Vishnu Singh, a 14-year-old, Babzie Singh (father of Vishal, Vishnu and Akash) and Satesh Singh, who allegedly “double banked” Viranjan at Annadale Pump Road, East Coast Demerara. The beating led to the man’s death.
Following an extensive summing up of the trial by Justice Franklyn Holder, yesterday the mixed panel of jurors retired to deliberate on the outcome of the case. It took about 45 minutes before the panel returned with the verdict.
Family members of the accused had come out to show their support. The atmosphere was quiet and tense. It was almost 6:00 pm, when the jury read the verdict.
They had found the accused “not guilty of murder, and not guilty of manslaughter.”
The atmosphere immediately changed. The Judge indicated to Lalchand that he was free to go and the man swiftly left the courtroom.
During his final arguments, Attorney at Law Huckumchand Parag, representing the accused pointed to several discrepancies in the evidence of the prosecution.
He claimed that the evidence the prosecution’s witnesses presented in the High Court differed from that which was tendered in the Magistrates’ Court.
“You must be satisfied that the evidence that the Prosecution presents proves their case beyond the shadow of a doubt,” Parag had urged the jurors, on Friday.
However, the Prosecution which comprised Attorneys-at- law Mercedes Thompson and Dhanika Singh, had maintained that their evidence was consistent.
At the initial trial, Vishal, Vishnu, and their father, Babzie, pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and were each sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. However, Lalchand was ordered to face a retrial.
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