Hampshire wedding house shooting suspects refused bail

Jan 06, 2018 News

The two suspects who surrendered to police on Thursday for the shooting of three persons at a wedding house at Hampshire Village, Corentyne, Berbice, were yesterday remanded to prison.

Tameshwar ‘Rambo’ Khemraj, 31, a barber, of 173 Nigg Village, Corentyne, Berbice and Devendra ‘Bara’ Harrichand, 31 of 138 High Reef, Albion, both appeared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Renita Singh, and were charged jointly.

They appeared under charges of attempted murder and felonious wounding and were not required to plead.

The charges stated that the accused men on Sunday 24th December 2017 at Hampshire Village, Corentyne, Berbice, with intent to murder, unlawfully and maliciously wounded Terry Ramsammy. The same charge was also read to both for unlawfully and maliciously wounding Nicholas Beharry. They were further slapped with a charge that on the said date, they unlawfully and maliciously wounded Samuel Samaroo with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or to cause him grievous bodily harm.

Prosecutor Lennox Poliah objected to bail on the grounds of the manner in which the offence was committed; one of the victims is still hospitalized; firearms were used in the incident, and Harrichand has a pending matter before the court where an arrest warrant was issued for him because of his absence.

Attorney-at-law Mursaline Bacchus, who represented the two accused, in his application stated that the prosecution must prove that Ramsammy is critical and still hospitalized, “they have produced nothing to show that”, he said. He also stated that no firearm was recovered and the fact that they surrendered is in their favour.

Meanwhile, Magistrate Singh denied bail and remanded both men to prison. She told defence counsel that he had failed to mention that his clients were previously before the court for other matters. According to her, an arrest warrant was issued for Devendra Harrichand for harbouring fugitive Stafrei Alexander.

Samuel Samaroo, one of the injured men, also showed up for the court proceeding.

They are set to return to court on January 16th for report.

According to the facts of the case, Samaroo, Nicholas Beharry and Terry Ramsammy were in the vicinity of a wedding house, when two cars reportedly pulled up to the location. It was reported by one of the injured that Khemraj, Harrichand and two other men, all armed exited the vehicle. An argument at some point erupted between the suspects and two of the victim’s when they subsequently began to discharge rounds, shooting Ramsammy and Beharry in the process.

Samaroo, one of the injured men had explained that he saw ‘Bara’ standing with the gun in his hand and at that moment decided to make an attempt to un-arm him when a scuffle ensued between the two resulting in him being shot in the right arm.

Ramsammy is still hospitalized according to relatives at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.