Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
2008 Bartica massacre trial…Another accused pleads guilty to 12 counts of manslaughter
The 2008 Bartica Massacre trial continued to spring its surprises.
From left: Roger Anthony Simon called Goat Man, Mark Royden Williams called Durant and Smallie, and Dennis Williams called Anaconda.
Yet another accused, Clebert Reece, has pleaded guilty to 12 counts of manslaughter before Justice Roxanne George.
On Monday, co-accused Michael ‘Capone’ Caesar, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of manslaughter before the same judge. Both men will be sentenced on December 16, next.
With their guilty pleas, the state is now left to prosecute Mark Royden Williams called Durant and Smallie; Dennis Williams called Anaconda and Roger Anthony Simon called Goat Man.
The guilty pleas by Caesar and Reece resulted from bargains they struck with the state.
The authorities must have got wind of a threat to Clebert Reece, as they separated him from the other accused. En route to the prison this morning he was made to travel in a separate vehicle. The word is that Reece proposes to testify against the others.
He had attempted to enter this guilty plea two weeks ago, but a constitutional move to the court to have the matter tried outside the Essequibo jurisdiction stalled the start. He said that about 18 months after he was arrested in 2008, he was prepared to enter a guilty plea. He began cooperating with the law enforcement officers, but it was only now that he could enter the guilty plea.
His lawyer said that while the man’s co-accomplice Caesar is going to get 40 years, Reece would get 30. He had tried to bargain for 20. Mitigating circumstances could lead to the smaller sentence. His lawyer said that there has already been a threat to Reece’s life from the other co-accused. He was poisoned. He had to be hospitalized for three days as doctors saved his life.
Pleaded guilty to Manslaughter: Clebert Reece
Reece said that one year after his arrest his life took a turn for a worse. The mother of his child visited him in prison and informed him that the relationship was at an end, since she was certain that he would not be seeing the outside world for the rest of his natural life.
He said that people had informed her that the 12 murder charges would keep him in jail for the rest of his life. He said that he last saw his daughter shortly before his incarceration. She has since left these shores. He last saw his son three years ago.
Meanwhile the jury was empanelled for the trial of the others, Mark Williams, Dennis Williams and Roger Simon. The court then read the 12 murder indictments to each of the accused. Each disavowed the alias that accompanies them.
There were the perfunctory three objections to a juror without reason. Then there were the other objections. In the end the jury was selected.
The trial continues today. Diana Kaulesar and Simone Giddings are leading the prosecution. The defence team includes Peter Hugh and Saphier Hussain.
The stage was set for the Bartica massacre High Court trial last month with only two of the accused having attorneys. The other three told the court that they intended to get attorneys even if they are state assigned.
The men had appeared in the Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Fazil Azeez.
A total of 37 witnesses, including civilians, were called to give evidence.
The matter, prosecuted by Special Prosecutor K. Juman Yassin, was concluded in less than ten months before the men were committed to stand trial in the High Court.
On the night of February 17, 2008, at approximately 21:40 hours some 20 gunmen attacked Bartica, slaughtering one dozen people, including three policemen, during an hour-long strafing.
It was reported that the gunmen attacked the police station first, killing the policemen and freeing prisoners.
They then took the vehicle assigned to the police station and went on a rampage, terrorising the community and murdering nine others. According to reports, the gunmen arrived in the area by boat and departed in similar fashion taking with them firearms they had grabbed from the police station and from a mining company.
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