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Mar 26, 2021 News
Kaieteur News – A 51-year-old cattle rancher was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his friend. Munilall Sarjoo made his appearance via Zoom in the Berbice High Court before Justice Simone Ramlal. Sarjoo had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Levan Chanderpaul who was 26 at the time his body was found buried in the Number 68 backdam, Berbice.
Chanderpaul who was a fisherman of Lot 116 Number 68 Village was found with his hands bound and chop wounds about his body on August 24, 2016 at the Number 68 backlands, two days after he was reported missing.
A probation report presented to the court by the probation officer stated that Sarjoo was born on the 21st February, 1970 and is the youngest of five siblings. He lived at Number 68 Village and is reported to have grown up under difficult financial circumstances. He was forced to leave school at the fourth level of primary school after his father suddenly passed. His father was the sole breadwinner of their home so he left school to find a job and assist in the home. Sarjoo who 0described himself as simple in the probation report had migrated to Canada in 2004 but was deported in 2012 after an alleged altercation with a female in a bar. After returning to Guyana, he lived at his parents’ property and thereafter bought his own property and developed his cattle ranch and did part-time construction.
Up until the time the incident occurred, Sarjoo lived with his wife and his son and noted in the report that after he was charged with the murder of Chanderpaul, his wife left him. The probation officer in the report said family members of Sarjoo were interviewed and they gave mixed reviews. The majority of the relatives said he was “arrogant and rowdy”. His ex- partner said he physically and verbally abused her during their time together and the community in which he lived described him as a “troublemaker, monster and menace”.
The accused according to the report said he shared a cordial relationship with the parents of the deceased since he would assist them with firewood for free on many occasions. He said that time and time again, the deceased had approached him for employment and he occasionally provided him employment by allowing him to feed his pigs at a fluctuation cost of $500-$1000. The report said that contrary to what Sarjoo said, family members of the deceased stated that the accused and deceased were friends and spent most of their days in each other’s company “hanging out”.
The report said the accused did not express remorse for what he did and that he maintained his innocence.
Meanwhile, the deceased who was born in December 1989 and was the younger of two was described by residents of the area in which he lived as mannerly but was involved in petty crimes. Mother of the deceased, Seerani Chandrapaul, told the court after the probation report was presented that “you killed my son; I don’t have sympathy for him. I have my reward. That is my only son”.
Consequently, Justice Simone Ramlall in her sentencing stated that the offence involved the loss of a young life and in considering the circumstances under which the offence was committed, “I have considered that the deceased met his death in a gruesome manner. He was brutally beaten to his head resulting in fragmented fractures to his skull”.
Justice Ramlall surmised that the deceased had to have endured tremendous pain and suffering prior to his demise and that his hands were bound and his body was dumped. The evidence she said suggests that it was a premeditated act. Additionally, the deceased is known to the offender and were acquaintances. Justice Ramlall took into consideration that there is evidence that considering that the offender fled from the police during the investigation and was in hiding for several months, “these are all aggravating factors.”
The judge also considered the fact that Sarjoo has a previous criminal record, which led to him being deported back to Guyana and that the conviction is for a violence offence against another person. She also considered the probation report, which said he was referred to as a menace by residents.
Justice Ramlall noted that the accused “is not fit for social re-adaptation.” She also took into account that he expressed no remorse but also took into consideration that he had a difficult childhood with economic constraints. In light of those factors and others, the accused was sentenced to life imprisonment with possibility of parole after serving 25 years. The State was represented by attorney-at-law, Tuana Hardy and the accused was represented by attorney-at-law, Rodwell Jagmohan.
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