Latest update April 8th, 2025 7:13 AM
Drinking buddies murder trial…Accused jailed for 13 years after pleading guilty to manslaughter
A man who killed his ‘buddy friend’ from schooldays, during a drinking spree and subsequently pleaded guilty to the
Dharampaul Gopaul called ‘Pauline Gulliver after been sentenced to jail
lesser count of manslaughter has been jailed for 13 years.
The man Dharampaul Gopaul, called ‘Pauline Gulliver’, 47, of Side Line Dam, Port Mourant, Corentyne, was on trial for the murder of Mukesh Gopaul, called ‘Muca’ which occurred on February 6, 2009 at 52 Side Line Dam, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice.
When he first appeared before Justice James Bovell-Drakes and a mixed jury, the accused through his Attorneys Kim Kyte-John and Tanya Warren Clements, had indicated to the court that he wanted to take a certain course of action, and change his plea from not guilty of murder to guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.
Justice Bovell-Drakes had ordered a probation report. On Wednesday, Senior Probation Officer Claudia Munroe reported that Gopaul was the fourth of 16 children and grew up in a state of poverty. His father was a heavy drinker and did not take care of them.
Gopaul left school at ‘Fourth Standard’ and started to work in a relative’s baker shop at the age of 12. He then turned to fishing, then cane cutting and back to fishing when the incident occurred. He is illiterate, but could sign his name.
He is the father of three grown daughters and was separated from his wife at the time of the incident. He and the accused were friends from small and lived not too far from each other. They were drinking buddies and would usually go on drinking sprees. He had also shown remorse that he had killed his good friend.
Justice Bovell Drakes before passing sentence gave the accused a lengthy address on the crime. The accused was drinking for a number of hours. He was cursing his mother. The deceased was his good friend from small. Rum caused him to kill his good friend.
He told the accused that he allowed alcohol to take control of his life. From that incident he should be saying,”No more rum for me”
The judge stated that after reviewing the case and taking everything into consideration, including the mitigation plea of his lawyers and the probation report, he had 22 years jail in mind. However, he decided to take the six years already spent in jail. Another three years were deducted because of the guilty plea.
State Prosecutor Attorney at Law Renita Singh told the court that on the day in question three men, including the accused and deceased, were at the home of the accused drinking rum.
She said that some time later, Gopaul’s mother said that Gopaul spent her pension money to buy rum. This led to a quarrel between the two men. Mukesh pushed Gopaul who in turn pushed him back. She mentioned that about the same time one Judia Griffith was going to her farm at Portuguese Quarters when she heard the three men quarrelling.
She decided to stop and heard Gopaul repeatedly telling Mukesh, ‘Wha you want a gon give yo.’ He then picked up a cutlass which was nearby and told Mukesh, “Me go ge you wa you want” before chopping him on the neck. The man then fell and blood started to ooze from his neck.
Mukesh was then picked up by Gopaul and Seenarine and placed in a car; he was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital before being transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where he succumbed.
The accused was later arrested at his home and charged with the capital offence. He admitted to the offence, but told investigators that the man struck him first. He also admitted that the fight began after he verbally abused his mother and was spoken to by the deceased. The murder weapon was found in the yard with what appears to be bloodstains.
The post mortem examination was performed by Doctor Vivekanand Brijmohan and gave the cause of death as shock, haemorrhage and incise wound.
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