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Belle Vue shooting-death…Case dismissed against accused CPG member
…amidst cries for justice from aggrieved mother
Six months after being accused of gunning down a 19-year-old Belle Vue mason, the embattled West Bank
Freed: Harry Rajpat
Demerara policing group (CPG) member has walked out of the courts a free man after the presiding Magistrate discharged the murder charge instituted against him.
Two days after the December 18 shooting of Godfrey Jhaggroo at Belle Vue, Harry ‘Sudesh’ Rajpat, 20, a member of a West Bank Demerara policing group, was charged with his murder.
Jhaggroo was shot at the back of the head shortly after a neighbour, who owns a rum shop, intervened in an argument between him and his mother.
It is alleged that the neighbour went into the mother’s yard and struck Jhaggroo with a piece of wood. The injured man reportedly hurled back the same piece of wood which struck the neighbour’s daughter.
Kaieteur News previously reported that the rum shop owner had complained to members of the Community Policing Group (CPG) about the incident and a vehicle with two members of the CPG caught up with Jhaggroo on the public road and he was shot.
The mason reportedly died from injuries received from a shotgun blast, the post mortem examination had revealed.
After the post mortem, Rajpat, a mechanic, appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Wales Magistrate’s Court for the start of his preliminary inquiry which commenced on March 20.
The accused, who was being prosecuted by Police Prosecutor, Corporal Lukhai, was represented by Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos and Pamela De Santos.
Several witnesses were called to take the stand on behalf of the Prosecution. Following the constant no-shows of some of the Prosecution’s key witnesses, the defence moved to close its case against Rajpat.
De Santos made a no-case submission on behalf of the accused which were upheld by the presiding Magistrate on Thursday, last.
Magistrate Nurse said that in light of the evidence before him, the court was of the opinion that the Prosecution had not established a prima facie case against Rajpat.
The Magistrate indicated that the court would uphold the no case submission made by the defence and discharge the murder charge.
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased has recorded disdain with the judicial system, stating that the manner in which the case was handled was disappointing.
Dead: Godfrey Jhaggroo
Churamanie Jhaggroo, the mother of the deceased, said “I just want justice. My son just die like that and nothing ain’t happen.”
In tears, the mother of nine said “He murder my son and get off free like this. I don’t know what else to do. In six months he done get release.
“I really feel these people get pay. I am a poor woman. I don’t have money to spend. I don’t know what else will become of this story.
“Everybody in the community just shocked. Nobody can believe what happened. That’s the son that used to help me out with the family.
“No one understands how a man could just murder my son and just get off,” the grieving mother lamented.
Jhaggroo has since lodged a report with the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
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