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Man gets life imprisonment sentence for felonious wounding
—family stages protest, lawyer vows to appeal case
Kaieteur News- The family and friends of Ganesh Dhanraj, also known as “Jango,” protested outside the High Court of Demerara on Thursday, calling for justice after the 33-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment and flogged with four strokes of the whip for felonious wounding.
The sentence followed a jury’s guilty verdict in November on a charge stemming from a 2014 incident.
Dhanraj, of Montrose, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was convicted of attacking 20-year-old Clinton Babooram on December 26, 2014, stabbing him in the groin. According to reports, the sentence, handed down by Justice Navindra Singh followed Dhanraj’s conviction by a jury in November. Originally charged with attempted murder, the jury found Dhanraj guilty of the lesser charge of felonious wounding.
Family members and friends gathered at the High Court to protest against penalty imposed on Ganesh Dhanraj.
Two days after the sentencing, Dhranraj family and friends gathered at the High Court gates to protest. Holding placards, they voiced their frustration at what they described as an “excessive injustice penalty.” Kaieteur News was on the scene where the family shared their frustration into the matter.
Dhanraj’s sister, Sherry Dhanraj, stated, “He has always been bullied, and one day he decided to retaliate. He was in a fight, and a couple of guys beat him.” The family claimed that Dhranraj reported his assault to the Sparendaam Police Station. However, when trying to retrieve the case jacket as evidence for the trial, the jackets could not be located at the station. “His medical records, his statement, everything disappeared from court, and now he’s sentenced to life imprisonment with four lashes. This guy (the victim) is alive and well, but my brother is treated as if he committed murder,” the sister explained.
She further questioned the fairness of the sentence and believed that the maximum penalty was imposed on Dhanraj, noting, “Can you imagine being whipped four times? That’s like sentencing him to death for something that happened when he was 24 years old. We want a retrial and for the jacket he used to report the bullying to be found.”
Ganesh Dhanraj sentenced to life imprisonment.
His mother, Dhrandaei Dhanraj, visibly distraught, could only say, “Right now, I’m confused. I don’t have words. I feel sad,” before breaking into tears.
Dhanraj’s family also pointed out the long gap in proceedings, noting that the case resurfaced nearly ten years after the incident. “This case died down for about a decade before it was brought to the High Court. Jango had poor defence,” a family member claimed.
In light of the protest, this publication contacted defence lawyer Adrian Thompson, who announced plans to appeal the sentence, particularly the corporal punishment aspect. “We are appealing and will attempt to file a constitutional motion because we believe the flogging is cruel and inhuman. It should be removed from the penalty,” Thompson said. He added that the team is pursuing all legal avenues through the Court of Appeal.
During the sentence on Monday, it is reported that Justice Singh imposed a base sentence of 30 years, adding nine years for aggravating factors, including the senseless nature of the attack and Dhanraj’s attempt to mislead the court with contradictory defences. The judge ordered that Dhanraj serve at least 39 years before becoming eligible for parole. In addition to the life sentence, the judge ordered that Dhanraj receive four strokes of the whip.
The incident took place outside a rum shop near Babooram’s home in Montrose, ECD. The court noted that Dhanraj approached Babooram without provocation and delivered a potentially fatal stab wound in the groin with a knife before fleeing. The injury required emergency surgery, with medical experts confirming its life-threatening nature.
Babooram had remained hospitalised for over two weeks and was bedridden at home for an extended period after the incident.
The trial was prosecuted by attorneys-at-law Muntaz Ali and Christopher Belfield.
(Man gets life imprisonment sentence for felonious wounding)
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