West Berbice murder accused to face judge and jury

Aug 13, 2016 News

Two men who were part of a marauding gang that caused terror by perpetrating two brutal murders within seven days, on the West Coast of Berbice, have been committed to stand trial in the next session of the Berbice High Court.
During the mayhem, three persons were killed and a house burnt.
The men, Rooplall Abrahim, called Vijai, 24, of Bath, West Coast Berbice, and Gocool Madanpaul, 18, called ‘Clown’, of 175 Block ‘B’ Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, appeared before Magistrate Rhondel Weaver at the Fort Wellington Magistrate Court on a joint charge of murder.
The case for the prosecution was that Abrahim and Madanpaul, between Sunday, January 3 and Monday, January 4, 2016, at Plantation Hope/ Bath, West Coast Berbice, murdered Anita Baichan “in the course of a furtherance of arson in relation to a dwelling house”.
The men, who were reportedly armed with cutlasses and knives, entered the home and held up Baichan and her son Moshim Khan, 28, and demanded cash and jewellery.
After robbing the woman and her son, the men allegedly set the house on fire. The woman tried to escape from the building, but could not, because she had been gagged with duct tape and her hand and feet were bound. The intruders were said to have escaped with over $250,000 and some silver jewellery.
Nine witnesses were called during the Preliminary Inquiry (PI), including Bemal Rajkumar, an uncle of the deceased; Azim Jamee, a security guard who was reportedly robbed by the two bandits, and Kumkarran Sookai, a nephew of the deceased.
During the testimony, 37-year-old Taramattie Ramdeen, called “Tara”, a domestic worker who resides at 175 Block ‘D’ Plantation Bath, West Coast Berbice, and the mother of Madanpaul, was sentenced to seven days in jail for contempt.
It was noted by the Prosecution that while testifying the woman was changing her story drastically. Her testimony differed from the statement she had given the police. While giving evidence she began to behave in a hostile manner and was repeatedly warned by the Magistrate. However, she persisted.
During efforts to restrain the woman, one police officer was ‘roughed up’ and a security guard at the court was injured and had to seek medical attention.
Attorney at law Murseline Bacchus is appearing for the two accused.

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