Latest update May 12th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 14, 2011 News
– Four of 27 cases completed
Jail delivery on Tuesday, last, by Madame Justice Roxanne George- Wiltshire, brought an end to the June 2011 Criminal Assizes for Berbice. During this Assizes, four matters were completed. Twenty-seven cases were listed
Two Judges sat during the period 1st June to 30th September. Justice Brassington Reynolds sat for the month of June and then Madame Justice Dawn Gregory sat from July to the end of the month of September when Madame Justice Roxanne George- Wiltshire was assigned to sit with effect from the 1st October to the 31st December.
During the month of June, Justice Reynolds did one trial for the offence of Inflicting Grievous Bodily Harm. The judge quashed the indictment in this case. During the following months from July to September two cases were completed by Madame Justice Dawn Gregory for the offence of Murder. In one case, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty and in the other case a no case submission was upheld for one accused and the jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict against the co accused. In a fourth case, the victim of a Carnal Knowledge charge gave a statement that she did not wish to proceed with the trial, resulting in the DPP preferring a nolle prosequi. This brought to a total of four cases those completed for this session from the list of twenty-seven.
At the same time the June Session for Demerara was being held. 196 cases were listed to be heard. Two Judges, Madame Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire and Mr. Justice Winston Patterson were assigned to sit in the June Criminal Session. Each judge had a list of 98 cases to hear. During this session, 17 of these cases were completed. 9 cases were completed by Justice George-Wiltshire and 6 were completed by Justice Patterson.
The nine cases which Justice George-Wiltshire completed were for the offences of Murder, Attempt to commit Murder, Causing Grievous Bodily Harm, Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm, Carnal Knowledge and Rape. The Jury returned a formal verdict of not guilty for five of the cases, namely Attempt to commit Murder, Causing Grievous Bodily Harm, Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm, Murder and Carnal Knowledge. There were 2 unanimous verdicts of not guilty for the offences of rape and Attempt to Commit Murder.
In 2 Murder cases the accused pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of Manslaughter and were each sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. In a Rape case the accused who pleaded guilty was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and in a Carnal Knowledge case where the accused pleaded guilty he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. No case submission was upheld in 2 cases by the trial judge which resulted in the jury returning formal verdicts of not guilty against the accused. And in a murder case where the jury could not agree on a verdict against the accused, a new trial was ordered.
Six cases were completed by Justice Patterson. They were for the offences of Carnal Knowledge, Rape and Murder. Justice Patterson did 3 Murder cases wherein the accused all pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of Manslaughter and were sentenced to 17, 15 and 8 years imprisonment. In a Carnal Knowledge case where the victim did not wish to proceed with the trial, the jury returned a formal verdict of not guilty. In another Carnal Knowledge case the Jury returned a unanimous verdict of Not Guilty and in the third case of Carnal Knowledge the jury returned a (10 to 2) majority verdict of guilty and the accused was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
Two other cases received attention during the June Demerara Session. In one case for the offence of Carnal Knowledge the trial commenced but was aborted because the victim went missing. In the other case for the offence of Murder, the trial judge after holding an enquiry committed him to the National Psychiatric Hospital for treatment. When this accused is fit to plead then the prosecution will proceed with his trial. This brings to a total of 15 cases being completed out of the 196 cases listed for hearing during the June 2011 Criminal Session in Demerara.
Sessions were also held in the county of Essequibo between May and September 2011 and two cases were completed by Justice Franklyn Holder for the offence of Murder. In both cases the accused were found guilty by a unanimous decision of the jury. Thirteen cases were listed to be heard and arrest warrants have been issued for 6 of these 13 accused persons.
The October Sessions for Demerara has opened and 206 cases are listed to be heard during the Session. The October Sessions for Berbice and Essequibo will be opened on the 18th and 25th October 2011 respectively. Thirty four cases are listed to be heard in Berbice and fifteen in Essequibo.
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