The teen, who allegedly fatally stabbed 15-year-old Eon Benjamin at Cottage, Mahaicony appeared at the Mahaica Magistrates’ Court last month charged with murder. Magistrate Haymant Ramdhani had read the charge of murder to the teen, who was not required to plead to the capital offence and remanded to prison.
Concerns have been raised about where the teen was being held since, according to juvenile justice advocates, a juvenile should not be exposed to “hardened criminals.” Further, such action would breach the Juvenile Offenders Act, Chapter 10:03 Section 7 of the Laws of Guyana.
Karen De Souza said that there were several police compounds designated as facilities where juveniles, remanded by the court, are kept. She further advised that juveniles cannot be taken to the New Opportunity Corp, unless so ordered by the court.
Persaud stated that the 13-year-old was being held at Turkeyen, “where they usually go.” Stabroek News was unable ascertain whether the Turkeyen location is designated, as stipulated by law, as a facility where juveniles can be held.
Crime Chief Seelal Persaud questioned at an earlier date about where teenagers accused of murder were normally held, did not respond.
The Juvenile Offenders Act Chapter 10:03 Section 7 states: “It shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Police to make arrangements for preventing, so far as practicable, a child or young person while being detained, from associating with an adult, or other than a relative, charged with an offence.” Section 8 (1) of the same act, which deals with the remand or committal to custody in place of detention, goes on to say that instead of committing the juvenile to prison shall commit him to a place of detention as stipulated in the act. However, Section 8 (2) of the same act states that a commitment to a detention facility “may be varied or, in the case of a young person who proves to be of so unruly a character that he cannot be safely detained in such custody…the young person may be committed to prison.”
It is alleged that on October 18 at about 6.20pm at the Mahaicony community, the 13-year-old murdered Benjamin by stabbing him several times about the body with a kitchen knife. Both boys were residents of Cottage. Reports are that on the day of the alleged crime Benjamin, the accused and another teen had an argument. The boys, reports said, had splattered Benjamin’s vest with mud and an argument erupted between Benjamin and the other teen who is a friend of the accused.
