Five pirates sentenced to death for 2016 attack on fishermen

Dec 15, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – Justice Sandil Kissoon on Thursday imposed the death sentence on five men who pleaded guilty to the gruesome murder of four fishermen during a piracy attack back in 2016.

Those sentenced are: Leon Sammy of Number 75 Village, Ganesh Naidoo of Number 79 Village, Ramesh Singh of Liverpool Village, Ramchand Latchman and Stephon Leacock of Number 77 Village, Corentyne.

The five men had reportedly engaged in a homicidal rampage involving piracy, hijacking, and robbery between May 27 and 28, 2016. At the High Court in Berbice, the men confessed to killing Dhanpaul Ramphal, also known as “Sunil,” 38; Munish Churman, 26, also known as “Boyo,” of Number 60 Village; Dochan Sukra, 54, called “Butcher”; and 45-year-old Hemchand Sookdeo, aka “Dread”, a father of five from Number 55 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Sammy, Naidoo, Singh, and Leacock pleaded guilty to the crime at their first appearance before the judge and jury at the High Court. Latchman entered a not-guilty plea upon his arraignment at the High Court. He was undergoing a trial for the crime but decided to change his plea to guilty mid-way the proceeding.

The five pirates who were sentenced to death for the deadly piracy attacks

On Thursday, Justice Kissoon imposed the death sentences alluding to the savage nature in which the crimes were committed. In handing down the sentence, Justice Kissoon took into consideration inter alia case from the Caribbean Court of Justice and the guidelines for imposing maximum sentences as well as mitigating factors. In the circumstances of the case, Justice Kissoon found there were no mitigating factors to lessen the sentence.

Describing the crime as “horrific and an act of atrocity of utter and complete savagery,” Justice Kissoon sentenced the men to suffer death in a manner prescribed by law on each count in the indictment.

Back in 2016 it was reported, boat captain Seepersaud Persaud of the Rosana 664 vessel and his four fishermen were out at sea when they were attacked by the pirates and thrown overboard. Persaud made it through the ordeal alive. Fuel and other equipment, as well as the fishermen’s daily catch, were taken by the bandits.

The pirates first threw Sookdeo, who was injured and bleeding, into the water. Then, the other three were bound and strapped to anchors. They, too, were thrown into the ocean. Hours after the attack, Sookdeo’s body was discovered entangled in seines with a chop wound to the back of his skull.

The three other crew members: Churman, Sukra, and Ramphal, are still unaccounted for and are thought to have perished. The three missing fishermen were reportedly tossed overboard while still tied to an anchor.

A few days later, Police visited No. 65 Village foreshore in Corentyne in response to information they had received, and they observed a boat that matched the description of the vessel used during the attack. On board, Police found the four confessed killers and Latchman. According to those reports, one of the five men had admitted to the crimes and implicated Latchman.

At the sentencing on Thursday, Singh and Leacock were represented by Attorney-at-Law Tuanna Hardy, while Naidoo and Sammy were represented by Attorney-at-Law Kevin Morgan. Both lawyers indicated that they would be appealing the death sentences on behalf of their clients.

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Berbice High Court, Death sentence, Justice Kissoon, murder, Pirates

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