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Bagotstown man freed of murder over illegal water connection
Freed: Sheldon Anthony Bowen called ‘Muslim’.
Kaieteur News – Sheldon Anthony Bowen called ‘Muslim’ was yesterday acquitted of the murder of his neighbour, Mark Ifill called ‘Yankee,’ after a trial by jury before Justice Navindra Singh.
The father of six from Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was freed after his lawyer, Siand Dhurjon, made a submission of no case to answer which was upheld by the judge.In his submission, Dhurjon relied on precedents from Guyana’s High Court and Court of Appeal to ground his submission that the prosecution had failed in their duty to negative or to disprove the defence of accident and/or self-defence.
The lawyer highlighted that the prosecution had led no evidence to substantiate that Ifill’s actions did not result in his own death.
Dead: Mark Ifill called Yankee
Dhurjon on behalf of the defence explained that his client (Bowen) was attacked by Ifill with a knife after trying to push him out of his premises.
He explained that Bowen had a duty to prevent the commission of an offence by Ifill who was trespassing on Bowen’s property, damaging Bowen’s pipes and trying to steal water.
Additionally, the lawyer placed a medical certificate into evidence which explained that Bowen himself had abrasions and swelling to his body.
Added to that, he noted that State Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, confirmed that an abrasion and fracture to Ifill’s thumb could have been caused by him falling to the ground.
Bowen was charged with murder after it was alleged that on 25 April, 2017 he murdered Ifill by stabbing him to his side with a knife during an argument over an illegal water connection at Bagotstown, EBD.
The State, which was represented by lawyers, Tyra Bakker and Teriq Mohammed, presented nine witnesses who testified about the incident. Following the decision, Bowen was not asked to say anything but he broke down in tears after hearing the verdict virtually over Zoom from the Lusignan Prison. He was incarcerated for over three years.
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