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I would never do anything to hurt ‘Auntie Shakeela’ – accused tells court
Trial for murder Mahaicony businesswoman…
Accused: Navindra Singh
Kaieteur News – Murder accused, Navindra Singh told the Court yesterday, in an unsworn statement, that he would never do anything to hurt murdered Mahaicony businesswoman, Bibi Shairoon Nesha Ali.
In fact, Singh, who joined the proceedings via Zoom from the Lusignan Prison told the Court that he loved Ali whom he called by her alias “Aunty Shakeela.”
The accused led his defense before Justice Navindra Singh and a mixed-12 member-jury.
Murdered: Mahaicony businesswoman, Bibi Shairoon Nesha Ali
This was before Senior State Counsel; Tuanna Hardy, led her closing address, urging members of the jury to consider several key pieces evidence presented by witnesses in the trial.
Among the evidence is the testimony of police witnesses who told the court that Singh‘s fingerprint was found inside the murdered woman’s bedroom.
The State Prosecutor noted that the testimony of the police fingerprint expert corroborated the evidence of other witnesses, who testified that they saw the accused in the area on the night the woman was allegedly robbed and killed.
She noted too that another witness, Rajindra Dindyal, had testified that the accused who was a juvenile at the time had threatened to harm the woman.
“The fingerprint,” the lawyer stressed to the panel, “is one of the most potent piece of evidence against the accused.”
She noted that fingerprints unlike most other features, is unique to one individual.
“The accused has neither led evidence nor called any witnesses to give a reasonable explanation why his print was found in the home of the murdered woman,” the lawyer stressed.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to rebut the prosecution‘s contention, Defense Counsel Bernard Da Silva, asked the jury to disregard any evidence that the fingerprint expert presented. The lawyer contended that “a fingerprint,” is not enough to convict his client.
During the trial, previous witnesses who were called to the stand in the trial, including police fingerprint expert, Lallbachan Dyal, testified that a fingerprint impression found in the home of murdered Mahaicony businesswoman had matched the accused.
The policeman told the court that he ran tests on several of the prints, which were collected from the home. Several weeks after the murder, he noted, Davenand Rampersaud and Singh (a juvenile at the time) were held and charged for the crime.
Inspector Dyal, the fingerprint expert told the court that he compared the fingerprints collected at the crime scene against the prints of Rampersaud and Singh after they were arrested for the crime. He said, however, that of all prints collected, only one matched the print of Singh’s little finger.
His expertise in fingerprint analysis was taken to task by Defense Counsel, Bernard Da Silva, but the witness remained firm that the print was a match
Dyal’s evidence followed the testimony of police detective, Joel Chisholm, who told the court that he dusted the surfaces in the home of the dead woman and collected fingerprint samples for testing.
Officer Chisholm also testified to collecting fingerprint samples from the body of the deceased and later witnessing along with her relatives, the Post Mortem Examination performed on her body, by a state pathologist.
According to reports, Ali, who operated a small store at her Lot 4 Novar, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara residence, was found bound and gagged in her home on October 17, 2016, following a suspected robbery. Reports are that her murder likely occurred between October 15 and 16, 2016, since by the time her body was discovered, it was already swollen.
Singh who was 14 years old when he was arrested, had been initially charged along with 27-year-old, Davenand Rampersaud.
Rampersaud has since pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of manslaughter when he faced a judge at the High Court. He was sentenced to life in prison for the crime and is expected to serve at least twenty-five years in jail before becoming eligible for parole.
Singh’s matter is expected to conclude today after the Judge sums up the evidence and presents it to the jury for deliberation.
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