Latest update February 6th, 2025 7:27 AM
Handyman sentenced to 30 years in jail for murder of Hamson’s General Store owner
Floyd Rammit, who was charged with the April 2015 murder of Farouk Ghanie, the proprietor of Hamson’s General Store, was yesterday handed a 30-year jail sentence after he entered a guilty plea.
MURDER ACCUSED: Kemo Evans
Accompanied by his lawyer, Maxwell McKay, the 31-year-old man appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Georgetown.
Senior State Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy, along with State Prosecutors, Tiffini Lyken and Nafeeza Baig, presented an indictment against Rammit which alleged that he murdered the man during a robbery. Prosecutor Hardy told the court that Rammit, formerly of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, was employed by the businessman to care for his dogs.
She said that Rammit lived at the businessman’s Nandy Park, East Coast Demerara residence, but occupied a separate apartment. According to the prosecution, on the day in question Rammit, along with Kemo Evans, went into the businessman’s home. Ghanie was later found in his home with a stab wound to the region of his heart.
The prosecutor told the court that after the killing, Rammit fled to the interior and was only captured three months later; he took police to the home of Evans. A few months after Rammit was arrested and charged, police issued a wanted bulletin for Evans who has so far indicated that he wants the matter to go to trial.
MURDERED: Farouk Ghanie
Kaieteur News had previously reported that on April 15, 2015, the 56-year-old businessman also known as ‘Brother’, left his home and went to his place of business on Regent Street. Georgetown. Ghanie returned home around 18:00hrs on the said day. Around
20:00hrs, Rammit and Evans were reportedly seen in the man’s home.
A while later, the men were reportedly seen by eyewitnesses, hurriedly leaving the man’s home. The very next day, neighbours found Ghanie’s body. There were wounds to his left side chest and cheek. The police were called in and discovered that the businessman’s firearm, cell phone and other items were missing.
During a plea in mitigation, lawyer for Rammit, Maxwell McKay, told the court that his client is a well behaved prisoner. While incarcerated, McKay revealed that his client learned to read and write. In his address to the court, Rammit turned to the dead man’s daughter and said, “I am sorry for the loss.”
Ghanie’s daughter during a victim impact statement said that Rammit referred to her father as “Daddy.” She said that Rammit was like family to them and her father said that he was a “good guy”.
Fighting to hold back tears, the woman asked, “Why did you have to kill him? You could have gotten anything you want; he (Rammit) ate the same food we ate. What did you gain?”
She said that as a result of his selfish actions, her siblings are now left without a father; and her children without their grandfather. Prosecutor Hardy pressed for a sentence that will deter like-minded persons from committing similar offences. She said that Rammit was like a “trustee” to the businessman and “they used to go out together.”
Not only has a family lost their loved one, but society had lost a prominent businessman, Prosecutor Hardy submitted.
Justice Kissoon in arriving at an appropriate sentence had to weigh the mitigating and aggravating circumstances. The judge considered his early guilty plea, and the fact that he threw himself at the mercy of the court. The Judge also pointed out that it was revealed that Rammit was a first time offender and a man of good character.
Notwithstanding these, the judge also had to consider the prevalence of these sort of offences in society; the fact that a knife was used to inflict the fatal injury as well as the level of premeditation and planning. The Judge also took into consideration that it was a crime for gain and the fact that Rammit fled the jurisdiction, only to be apprehended months later.
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