Latest update March 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 20, 2019 News
The trial of Colin Allen, who is accused of the August 1, 2015 murder of 77-year-old Danrasie Ganesh, commenced yesterday before Justice Navindra Singh, before whom an emotional Basmattie Ganesh testified to finding her mother lying motionless in a pool of blood in the kitchen of her Lot 121 Montrose, East Coast Demerara home.
Allen, also known as ‘Colis Williams’ and ‘Bonus’, has pleaded not guilty to the indictment which alleged that on August 1, 2015 in the county of Demerara, he murdered Ganesh, also known as, ‘Carmen’.
The murder accused is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Rachael Bakker, while the case for the State is being presented by Prosecutors Tuanna Harding, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohamed.
Following the empanelling of a 12-member mixed jury, Prosecutor Gibbs gave opening remarks during which she told the court that Ganesh lived alone at Montrose, East Coast Demerara. On the day in question she was visited by an unwanted guest, Allen, who was unknown to her, the prosecutor said.
According to the prosecutor, Allen entered the woman’s house as though he knew her, and murdered her. Basmattie was the second of 12 witnesses called by the State. The woman told the court that she lived a few streets away from her mother at Lot 188 Montrose, East Coast Demerara.
The witness said that her mother lived alone and that she was taking care of the property for some neighbours who had migrated from Guyana. Further in her testimony, the daughter said that she last saw her mother alive was on July 31, 2015. On that day, she said, she gave her channa to eat.
She added that some time during the morning of August 1, 2015, she passed her mother’s house to go to the market and observed the kitchen window, which would normally be opened, locked. She said that she made nothing of the observation and went looking for her mother at the market, which she frequents. She did not find her.
Basmattie said that she later received a call from one of her mother’s neighbours who asked of her to check on her mother since she was not seen cleaning the yard which is something she would normally do.
The woman told the court that she rushed over to her mother’s house where she saw a wrong key stuck in the padlock to the front gate. As a result, she said that her brother and nephew jumped over the gate to her mother’s yard from where they entered the house through a side door that was left opened.
At this stage, Basmattie became emotional and starting sobbing. She recalled how she found her mother lying motionless in a pool of blood inside the kitchen with a wound to her head. The police were summoned, she added. Once there, she stated that police ranks inquired of her if her mother was having problems with anyone and she replied in the affirmative.
According to the witness, her mother had been involved in a land issue with some neighbours, but that matter was settled a long time ago by the courts. Further, she added that police ranks also inquired of her if the property had camera and she told them “yes.” After which ranks went to the upper flat of the building where they reviewed CCTV footage from which she saw the “bandit’s foot”
She said she cried after seeing this and immediately ran downstairs.
Rex Mangru, an engineer, and neighbour of Danrasie, also testified. The man who told the court he resides at Lot 150 Montrose, East Coast Demerara testified to knowing the deceased for about 20 years. According to him, she was his western neighbour.
Mangru told the court that on August 1, 2015 around 06:00hrs, he came out to clean his yard and did not notice Danrasie who would normally be out earlier cleaning her yard also. He said that a few hours elapsed and after not seeing or hearing from her, he phoned her daughter and asked her to check on her mother who was not responding to neighbours who had been calling out for her.
According to the witness, the woman’s daughter came over and the two of them along with other relatives rushed into the house where they found her lying in a pool of blood inside the kitchen.
The prosecution is expected to call 12 witnesses. This trial is continuing at the High Court in Georgetown.
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