Convicted murderer attempts to escape before sentencing

Jul 16, 2015 News

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– Nephew, accomplice gets combined 117 years in jail

 

Faced with the reality that he might spend the remainder of his natural life behind bars, convicted murderer, Anthony De Paul Hope, attempted to escape from lawful custody, at the Georgetown High court, yesterday.
Hope called ‘Papa’, 27, of ‘C’ Field Sophia, and his friend Ralph Tyndall, 28, called Nick of ‘C’ Field, Sophia were convicted for killing his aunt, Colleen Forrester.  They were yesterday sentenced to a combined 117 years in jail by Madam Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire.
According to reports the victim, 56, was beaten and strangled at her brother’s house at Lot 55 William Street, Campbellville.
Forrester’s ankles were bound and her body wrapped in sheets before it was tossed into the septic tank at the Campbellville location.
The woman had gone missing days before the gruesome discovery was made. Initial investigations revealed that Forrester was beaten to death with a pestle (mortar stick) by her nephew (Hope) and his friends Tyndall and Kevin O’ Neil.
However, O’ Neil who is said to have only participated in helping to dispose of the body was acquitted after the court upheld a no-case submission presented on his behalf. The other two accused were found guilty of the offence on July 3, last. Sentencing was deferred in wake of a request for probation reports.
Yesterday the men were scheduled to appear before Justice George for sentencing, but before they could, Hope made a desperate attempt to escape. The 27-year-old, who was reportedly armed with a knife, is said to have attacked police officers as he was being led out of the court lock-ups.
The prisoner reportedly made a dash out the Supreme Court building but the quick action of ranks prevented him from going anywhere further than the nearby parking lot.  Hope’s actions disturbed the usually quiet environs of the High Court.
Those present rushed to witness the “epic battle” between the prisoner and law enforcement officers.
But before long, Hope was back in shackles and the surroundings had returned to normalcy. The atmosphere in the courtroom remained tense, with the heightened presence of police and even ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Persons entering Justice George’s courtroom were subject to searches and were subsequently instructed to lodge their belongings at the Police Outpost.
Those present at the hearing yesterday, specifically relatives and friends of the victim and the accused persons, appeared anxious to hear the outcome of the case.
Probation Officers, Debra Joseph and Carol Beresford were the first to address the court, reading excerpts from the reports they compiled on the lives of the two men. They were questioned on their findings.
Joseph reported that Tyndall was not a person of violent demeanor but while growing up, he would often gravitate to questionable characters.  She said that the former Sophia Special School student was referred to by his neighbours as a person of “unsound character.”
On the other hand, Beresford told the court that Hope disclosed that he assisted with wrapping and dumping his aunt’s body in the septic tank after she was murdered. Beresford’s report on the dead woman’s nephew painted a bleak picture of his childhood and upbringing.
After losing his father at a tender age, Hope quit school and sought employment as a cane labourer, among other jobs. After his mother left for Barbados some years later, he and his younger siblings were left in care of his foster father.
It was then that Hope is said to have experienced a number of unpleasant acts, including having to witness his siblings being touched inappropriately by his stepfather. Hope later migrated to Barbados where he spent a few years and fathered two children.

Shortly before the incident in 2008, he was deported from the Island. After his return to Guyana, his aunt Colleen (the deceased) who had cared for him and his siblings as children, allowed him to stay at her brother’s residence since he had no other place to stay.
Attorneys-at-Law Melvin Duke and Madan Kissoon relied on the contents of the probation reports as they made their pleas of mitigation on behalf of Tyndall and Hope.
The Attorneys noted that both men had no previous convictions or prior issues with the law. Kissoon spoke of the fact that his client was of limited academia but prior to his incarceration was a notably productive member of society.
Duke, on the other hand, noted that his client, (Hope)’s childhood might have had something to do with the way he turned out. The Attorney begged the court for mercy and asked that his client be given a chance at redemption.
Responding, State Prosecutor Stacey Goodings highlighted that Forrester met a gruesome demise at the hands of her own nephew. She said that the state would nonetheless rely on the court‘s guidance in handing down the sentence.
Through all this, Hope and Tyndall, who were seated in the docks a few feet away, were expressionless.
Given a chance to speak, Tyndall sprang up from his seat insisting that he is innocent of the crime. He said that all he was guilty of was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said he was sorry for the life lost.
Hope, on the other hand, begged forgiveness for his actions. He apologized for trying to escape – an issue the judge said the court would not consider at that time.
Hope apologised for lying to the court under oath when he denied knowing anything about the murder. Yesterday, he claimed that he knew who murdered his aunt and that person is Tyndall. He claimed that the only thing he is guilty of is trying to cover up a crime which his friend committed.
Hope then turned to the members of the courtroom, some of whom had broken down in tears, and apologized for his wrongdoings and for hiding what he knew about the murder.
“Forgive me for my stupidity and for keeping it to myself,” a tearful Hope stated.  He begged the court for leniency.
In her ruling, Justice George noted both Tyndall and Hope never took responsibility or showed remorse for their actions.  She pointed out that both men had continually sought to blame the crime on each other.
The judge noted, too, that the aggravating factors of the incidents far outweighed the mitigating aspects. Justice George specifically spoke of the relationship between Hope and the deceased. She noted that the woman’s children still question the reason their cousin would want to repay his aunt’s kindness with cruelty.
Given the circumstances, Justice George sentenced Hope to a total 70 years in prison and Tyndall, to 65 years, in jail.
However, the judge deducted eight years off each sentence and an extra two years from Tyndall’s jail term for the presence of mitigating factors. Thus, Tyndall was sentenced to serve 55 years in jail. He would be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.
Justice George said however that she could not deduct any further time off Hope’s sentence since there were no factors of mitigation which permitted her to do so.  Hope was therefore sentenced to 62 years imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole after serving 40 years in jail.

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