Latest update September 3rd, 2026 10:25 AM
‘Mongoose’ to face retrial for killing child
Murder accused Fazal ‘Mongoose’ Mohamed, called ‘Boy’, 23, of No 67 Village, Corentyne Berbice will have to face a Judge and Jury again. This was after the mixed jury in his murder trial failed to come up with a unanimous verdict in the Berbice High Court.
Mohamed was on trial for the gruesome murder of seven-year-old Saheed ‘Buddy’ Muknauth, also called ‘Shiam’ of No. 68 Squatting Area, Corentyne, Berbice on August 20, 2012.
Justice Rabindranauth Singh took most of the morning to sum up the evidence to the Jury. The Jury then retired around 11:00 hrs before returning around 13:10 hrs without a decision. The Judge asked if additional time would help break the dead lock to which they answered in the negative. The Jury was split nine for and three against.
On Tuesday, both the defence and prosecution had summed up their evidence before the Jury. State Prosecutor Renita Singh in her summation had told the jury that the case was clear that it was the accused that inflicted injuries to the deceased that caused his death. She also drew the attention of the Jury to the many lies and inconsistencies of the accused.
Defence Attorney Raymond Alli, admonished the jury not to believe the prosecution’s story. He based his defence on the theory that the police made up the story and forced his client to sign the statement.
Also on Tuesday the prosecution called Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan who concluded that the child died from multiple injuries to various parts of his body. The lad’s body was so decomposed that the post mortem had to be done at the scene where it was found. The body was spread eagled and floating in a pond surrounded by shrubs and trees.
Earlier in the trial the judge admitted the caution statement purportedly given by the accused. In his statement the accused had admitted that about 16:00 hrs on the day in question he took the accused down a street at No 68 village. He then carried him into some big bushes which had some shallow pond inside.
He then cuffed the deceased numerous times on his head and pushed him down. He then picked up a stick and beat the lad on his head “plenty times”. He saw blood on the accused and left and went away.
The Prosecutor had earlier told the court that the child’s mother, Anita Persaud, had earlier in the day ingested kerosene and was admitted at the Skeldon Hospital, leaving her six children ages ranging from 12 years to two months at home.
She had later in the afternoon taken a self-discharge to be home with the children, when she discovered Saheed missing.
It was later learnt that the child was seen around 17:30 hrs on the day in question with the accused holding his hand, crossing the road. He was reportedly the last person seen with the lad on the day he disappeared.
Muknauth’s body was discovered at the back of a rice mill in a pond in a clump of bushes some two days later.
Share this:
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.