Magistrate Fazil Azeez at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court yesterday freed the Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara man accused of killing his wife by setting her afire after finding that there wasn’t a case against him.
Shilendra Peters had been charged with the murder of his wife, Farida Ishmile. The prosecution’s case had alleged that on August 26, 2005 at Uitvlugt, Peters murdered Ishmile by setting her afire. At the end of the preliminary inquiry, Peters’ attorney, Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos had made no-case submissions.
The magistrate upheld the no-case submissions yesterday and freed Peters after finding that there was no evidence against him. He said that after reviewing the evidence, “I have found no direct evidence nor circumstantial evidence to put the blame on Shilendra Peters”.
In recounting the testimony given, the magistrate noted that Peters had frequent quarrels with his wife and it had been alleged that he doused her with a flammable liquid and set her afire. She later died in the hospital.
The magistrate noted that the evidence led, showed that Peters had tried to get water to put out the fire, had called a taxi and taken Ishmile to the hospital and had stayed with her. He noted that there were no eyewitnesses to what happened in the home at the time and nothing has been proven. He said that in criminal matters the benefit of every doubt should work in favour of the accused and noted that there was only one person who really knew what went on in the home at the time and that was Peters and he was not called upon to lead a defence.
In freeing Peters, Magistrate Azeez told him that if he in fact committed the act then God would judge him. Peters after hearing the decision thanked the magistrate and left the court in the company of his relatives.
