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Man gets 22 years for murdering 7-year-old
Murder accused Fazal ‘Mongoose’ Mohamed, also called ‘Boy’, 23, of No 67 Village, Corentyne, Berbice who
Murdered: Saheed Muknauth
is accused of murdering a seven-year-old lad and had earlier pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter was on Monday sentenced to 22 years in jail by Justice Brassington Reynolds in the Berbice High Court.
This followed the presentation of a probation report which was earlier received by the judge. This was the man’s third trial.
Mohamed was accused of murdering Saheed ‘Buddy’ Muknauth, also called “Shiam” of Number 68 Squatting Area, Corentyne Berbice on August 20, 2012.
Mohamed had indicated to the court through his lawyer, Attorney at Law Raymond Alli, that he wanted to take a certain course of action and so pleaded not guilty of murder, but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.
The indictment was read by state prosecutor Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Judith Gildharie-Mursalin.
The probation report which was read by Probation Officer Neesa Gopaul had indicated that the accused was born at Kuru Kuru, but had migrated to Yakusari Black Bush Polder with his parents at a young Age.
He was the fourth of eight children and hadn’t much education, having to leave school at the Grade Three level due to economic constraints. His father was an alcoholic and his mother and father separated with his mother being left to fend for six of them.
At the time of the incident the accused was living with his sister. He was doing odd jobs and had become a heavy drinker and was also using narcotics.
Before passing sentence Justice Reynolds stated that he had in mind a sentence of 30 years, but will deduct five years for the guilty plea and a further three years for the time the accused spent in jail thus, his final judgment will be 22 years in jail.
Presenting the case State Prosecutor Attorney-at-law Judith Mursalin stated that during the time Saheed’s parents had a misunderstanding and as a result his mother, Anita Persaud, drank kerosene and was rushed to the Skeldon Hospital leaving her six children at home.
The oldest was 12 and the youngest two. The children were left in the care of the 12-year-old sister. The woman subsequently took a self discharge and returned home around 21:00hrs to find her son was not home.
According to information Mohamed was the last person seen with the lad, the day he disappeared.
Mohamed, who is well known to the family, had taken the child from his flooded home to buy food.
Muknauth’s body was discovered at the back of a rice mill two days later. It was found naked in a clump of bushes in a swamp about one mile in the backlands lying.
The face was badly disfigured and large portions of one of his legs stripped of the skin. An on-the-spot post mortem was done by Government Pathologist Dr. Vivikanand Brijmohan because the body was too decomposed.
The autopsy found that the child had sustained a clean cut to the chest and a large chop to the front of the head that caused fractures of the skull bones.
Additionally, there was an open compound fracture of the right lower forearm with the hand hanging loosely. The cause of death was given as a result of multiple injuries.
“Mongoose” had allegedly confessed to killing “Buddy” and had claimed he was drunk and was troubled by demons.
“I then cuff he plenty times to his head and push he down. I then push up a piece of hard stick and I lash him in his head plenty time. He start to cry and when I see blood I leff. I beat ‘Boy’ five minutes. Then I went by my sister fence and sleep deh…”
Defence Attorney Raymond Alli had earlier pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
He stated that the accused had pleaded guilty was still young and could still make a contribution to society.
His early life was not of the best since he came from a broken home.
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