Wedding house murder PI….. Magistrate admits statements as evidence

Mar 01, 2018 News

The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of Alston Henry, who was beaten to death at a wedding at Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara, continued yesterday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Charged for the capital offence is 32-year-old Rajen Dindial, of 653 Section ‘C’ Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara. He is alleged to have committed the murder on September 3, 2017.
Yesterday at the conclusion of the Voir Dire (trial within a trial) Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman ruled that she found that the caution statement and the four oral statements that the accused gave the police, were given freely and voluntarily. Hence she admitted the statements to be part of the evidence in the prosecution’s case.
This ruling comes weeks after Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves was forced to conduct a Voir Dire (trial within a trial) into the matter to ascertain the admissibility of certain statements made to the police by the murder accused.
While the PI was being conducted before the Magistrate, the accused claimed that he was beaten to give the statements, hence six police witnesses were called to testify in the Voir Dire.
The accused is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Jed Vasconcellos. The PI into the murder will resume today.
According to reports, Dindial and Henry were at a wedding celebration when an argument ensued between them, after Henry pushed down a portable toilet and refused to pick it up.
The court heard that Dindial became annoyed and armed himself with a wooden food paddle and dealt the victim several lashes about his body. Henry fell unconscious and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

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