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“God could strike me right here…I never chop nobody” – suspect in murder of Henry boys tells court
(Kaieteur News) – The trial into the killing of the Henry boys continued on Wednesday with the prosecution calling its final witness in the high-profile case being held at the Berbice High Court.
On trial are Anil Sanchara 39, called ‘Magga’ of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, and Vinood Gopaul, 35, called ‘Dan Pole’ and ‘Rasta’, of Yakasari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne. Both men have been charged with two counts each for allegedly murdering cousins: Isaiah and Joel Henry. Presiding over the matter is Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, while Attorney, Dexter Todd leads the defense and State Counsel, Marisa Edwards the prosecution.
Anil Sanchara took the stand on Wednesday and under cross-examination told the court that he never went anywhere with Akash Singh on September 5, 2020, one day prior to the boys’ bodies being found viciously chopped. Singh is another principal figure in the case. Singh and Sanchara are siblings. In the case so far, each brother has given conflicting accounts to the court, with Singh unreservedly naming Sanchara and Gopaul as the killers, and Sanchara reducing his brother’s claims to mere police manipulation.
Anil Sanchara as he leaves the Berbice High Court
He responded in the negative to a question posed to him by Todd on Wednesday when asked if he is familiar with the Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice backdam, telling the court that he has never even been at the location. This was advanced by Sanchara to counter Singh’s testimony that he along with Sanchara and Gopaul were there to plant marijuana.
In fact, Sanchara mentioned that on September 6, 2020, he was at work. He explained that he caught fish at Black Bush Polder, Corentyne.
An agitated Sanchara lamented, “I’m suffering for something I don’t know. God could be my witness and strike me right here.”
With regard to circumstances after the murder of the cousins, Sanchara disclosed that he was never asked to give a statement, and was not sure what Akash had told the police.
Sanchara denied that he was being dishonest when this was put to him by the prosecutor and that he, and not the police, threatened Singh. Sanchara maintained that Singh was a mere tool being used by the police to satisfy a particular agenda.
This statement set off a contentious back-and-forth between prosecutor Edwards and Sanchara, who, while responding to questions even spoke in excess of what was asked, visibly frustrated. He was gently pulled in line by Justice Morris-Ramlall, who admonished him to respond accordingly.
He held that while at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Georgetown, he heard Singh hollering, and confirmed to the prosecutor that the police did an interview with him and Singh at some point. Sanchara pointed out that his brother spoke under police duress, but Edwards would put it to the accused that it was he who threatened Singh. Further, she highlighted that Singh declared on many occasions, and even when questioned by police, that he made his admissions independent of any intimidation. Singh, she also stated, confirmed he was not beaten by police.
As the two went at it, Edwards pitched that Sanchara, Singh and Gopaul cultivated marijuana aback Cotton Tree between August and September of 2020, and suggested too that on September 5, they encountered the two boys. Sanchara pushed back emphatically, stating, “I never chop up nobody. I didn’t chop nobody.”
Meanwhile, the final witness for the prosecution was Royston Henry (no relation to the boys), from Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo. He stated he was reading the newspaper one day, when Akash Singh saw the photo of the two murdered boys and related something to him.
The prosecutor had indicated from the outset that she will arm her case with testimonies from 40+ witnesses. From that number, almost 20 individuals took the stand.
The lineup included the father of Isaiah Henry, relatives of the murdered boys, police officers, a pathologist and Akash Singh, the key witness.
The high-profile case continues on Thursday.
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