Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
High Court trial for trio accused of killing South Rd. pensioners
MURDERED: Constance Fraser
They repeatedly implicated each other in the murders of Constance Fraser and Phillip Caesar throughout a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) conducted by Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Imran Khan, called Christopher Khan, 25, of Independence Boulevard, Albouystown; Steven Andrews, 26, of 86 Hunter Street, Albouystown; and Phillip Suffrien, 23, of 66 Hunter Street, Albouystown, Georgetown were all committed to stand trial at High Court in Georgetown for the capital offence.
They are accused of the of killing Fraser, 87, and Caesar 75, between October 2 and October 3, 2017 at Lot 243 South Road and Albert Street, Georgetown, during the course of a robbery.
According to reports, the bound and gagged bodies of the two elderly women were found in their home by members of the South Road, Georgetown Full Gospel Assembly. The gruesome discovery was made after the women failed to attend a church service.
Caesar was the church’s caretaker, and had the code for the church alarm. She also kept the keys for a nearby school.
Ranks from the Alberttown Police Station, using a ladder, climb onto the verandah, where they discovered that a door leading to the verandah of the women’s home was open.
On entering, ranks discovered that the home was ransacked before locating the bound bodies of the pensioners in separate rooms.
Yesterday, at the conclusion of a PI, Magistrate Latchman ruled that sufficient evidence was led against the trio for the crime by Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves. As such, in accordance to Section 66 (1) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Magistrate Latchman informed the three murder accused that a prima facie case was established against them for the offence of murder.
She then addressed each of them, “Do you wish to say anything in answer to the charge? You are not obliged to say anything unless you desire to do so, but whatever you say will be taken down in writing and may be given in evidence at your trial.”
Khan, who had no legal representation, told the court, “I didn’t kill anybody, my worship.” Pointing at his co-accused Andrews, Khan said, “Is Jason wha strangle the persons. I know is something wrong I did for going and follow Jason, my worship. But I didn’t kill anyone. Please have mercy on me my worship. And Phillip is innocent. He doesn’t know anything about this.”
MURDERED: Phyllis Caesar
In his address to the court, Jacobs who was also unrepresented by an attorney, refuted being with Khan, who said that, he, was at the crime scene. He said, “We never planned anything nor did anyone spoke about this matter. I was picked up from my house and taken to the Alberttown Police Station where I was beaten and assaulted by the police. They (the police) try to tell me that it was me and the others at the (crime scene). They (the police) beat me and called (the other accused) names.”
Suffrien, who was represented by Attorney-at-law Saphier Hussein, also professed his innocence before calling his father, Richard and the officer in charge of the Alberttown Police Station, as witnesses.
According to Suffrien, he did not provide the police with any statement in relation to this matter. He said that he has no knowledge of the crime, adding that he has an alibi. He claimed that he was at home with his family at the time of the killing and that when he was arrested, the police provided him with a statement. In keeping with Section 72 of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, the Magistrate committed the three murder accused to stand trial for the offences at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara assizes.
Khan, Andrews and Suffrien made their first court appearance in October 2017 and were all remanded to prison.
They will remain on remand until a trial at the High Court.
During the PI, several witnesses, inclusive of police ranks and civilians were called to testify.
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