Son among three others charged for murder of man, 72

Jan 24, 2020 News

By Shikema Dey

Four men, including a son of the victim, were yesterday arraigned in the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court for the brutal murder of 72-year-old Strathspey, East Coast Demerara resident, Ramsahoye Deochand.

Dead: Ramsahoye Deochand

Permaul Sankar, 34, of 491 Block 8, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara and Khublall Persaud, 35, of 104 Strathspey, E.C.D, along with Mahendranauth Persaud, 32, of 38 Strathspey, E.C.D and the victim’s younger son, 22-year-old Mahendra Deochand of 109 Strathspey, East Coast Demerara, all appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore where the indictable charge was read.
The charge alleged that on January 20, 2020, the quartet, at Strathspey, East Coast Demerara, murdered Ramsahoye Deochand. The men were not required to plead to the charge.

The victim’s son, Mahendra Deochand (left) and Permaul Sankar

The pensioner succumbed to the injuries he sustained after a severe beating, allegedly over stolen money and a gold chain, on Tuesday. The man was hospitalised for two days before drawing his last breath at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
An autopsy conducted by State Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh gave the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and multiple injuries.
From graphic images posted on social media, Deochand endured a cruel assault; his head was cut open, fingers bloodied and the elderly man sported bruises about his body. The man was allegedly beaten with a house music amplifier and equalizer.

Khublall Persaud (left) and Mahendranauth Persaud

The pensioner had suffered a stroke, leaving his entire right side paralyzed.
Khublall Persaud, Mahendranauth Persaud and Permaul Sankar were represented by Attorneys-at-Law Haymant Ramdhani and James Bond, while Deochand remained unrepresented.
In their address to the court, the lawyers’ claimed that Deochand allegedly solely confessed to the crime, but this statement was thrown out by Magistrate Azore who stated that the case is in its initial stages and such accusations should not be put forward.
Deochand however attempted to speak in open court, but was hushed by Magistrate Azore who reminded him that he was not required to speak, and that he was the only suspect who appeared without representation.
The lawyers went on to inquire about the earliest possible date for full disclosure of the statements and a date for the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) to begin, but Police Prosecutor David Goodridge told the court that the file is in his possession, but it has issues that need to be fixed before it can be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
As such, he is unsure of a definite timeframe for its return.
The men were then remanded to prison until March 16, when they will make their next appearance.