Latest update March 26th, 2026 7:55 AM
Berbice trio on trial for killing taxi driver
(Kaieteur News) – A 12-member jury was empaneled on Wednesday at the Berbice High Court to serve in the trial of three men accused of killing a 47-year-old taxi driver back in 2020, at his Experiment, West Coast Berbice home.
Devon McAlmont, Ivan Lindo, and Royston Dowden are before Justice Sandil Kissoon for the murder of Mohamed Haniff called ‘Raymond,’ on September 11, 2020.
Devon McAlmont, Ivan Lindo, and Royston Dowden are accused of killing 47-year-old Mohamed Haniff.
Police had stated that three masked men invaded Haniff’s home where he was beaten, with demands made for cash and jewelry. His wife was said to be unharmed during the attack.
Presenting the State’s case, attorney Cecilia Corbin told the court that Haniff had days before returned home from St. Maarten. She said little did he know that days after reuniting with his family he would be taken from them forever.
“It is the State’s case that on the 11th of September, 2020, a group of three men invaded the home of Mr. Mohamed Haniff and executed a series of terrifying events there in,” the jury was told.
Key witness and son of the deceased, Asraf Haniff, 21, submitted that at the time of the incident, he shared the three-bedroom, two-story home with his father and mother. The younger Haniff stated that earlier in the day, his father visited his worksite not too far from the home. In the afternoon, his uncle Mustak Haniff also visited him, and inquired about his father’s whereabouts. His uncle shouted for his father who did not respond, as he was sleeping, he stated.
He told the court that when he got home later, he called out to his parents but got no response. Venturing to the upper flat, he said he heard a groaning. Upon entering his father’s room, the man was in a pool of blood, he recalled.
“I started hollering for help, calling the neighbours, and then my uncle come…my uncle jump the fence, then my brother-in-law come, then we hoisted my father and carry him to Fort Wellington Hospital.”
He said his mother was “on the hall at the front, lying down on the floor.” She had begun crying and told him that bandits were in the home. Pressed further by the defence, he confirmed that his mother subsequently told the police in his presence that two other men armed with a gun and cutlass entered her room and ordered that she lay flat on the floor.
He further stated that he and his mother then entered one his cars car operated by a driver, and made their way to the said hospital, then to the Fort Wellington Police Station. While there, they were questioned whether any item of value was missing following the ordeal.
“I raise up the mattress and find a black purse with my father money,” he said. He then told the prosecutor that it was the purse shown to him by his father after he had returned home, which contained cash and jewellery. It was retained by the police for evidence.
He said he and his mother were detained for 72 hours by police.
Defence attorneys Horatio Edmonson, Chandra Sohan, and Kevin Morgan, are representing 27-year-old Lindo, 57-year-old McAlmont, and 34-year-old Dowden respectively. The attorneys grilled several relatives of the deceased, including his son, for details surrounding the victim’s arrangements for his multiple properties and finance, all of which were discussed within the knowledge of his wife.
Answering more questions from the defence, the victim’s son confirmed that his father was a customs officer prior to him becoming a taxi operator. He also affirmed that when his father returned, they were in talks to have the home, one of his three properties, handed over to him (son). A property at Plantation Hope is being rented, and the finances from that was managed at times by his wife, before his death. Monies generated from the man’s taxi operations were handled by his wife and son in his absence.
Haniff, a taxi driver, was allegedly murdered after returning home from St. Maarten where he lived for two years. He was dealt a chop to his head, reports stated.
State Prosecutor Corbin that the three men were arrested and charged for the death of Haniff, following investigations by the police.
“Members of the jury, as these three men appear before you, they have nothing to prove. It is the State that has brought its case against them, and it is the State that must satisfy you, so that you feel sure that each of them committed the offence of murder,” she told the jury. The trial continues on Wednesday, November 12.
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