Amidst heavy police presence, the mother and stepfather of slain teenager Neesa Gopaul were yesterday charged with her murder at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
It was alleged that between September 24 and October 2 at Madewini, at the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, Bibi Sharima Gopaul and Jarvis Small, both of 13 Public Road Leonora, West Coast Demerara, murdered Neesa Lalita Gopaul.
The duo, who were jointly charged, were handcuffed as they stood in the docks when the capital charge was read to them by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry. They were not required to enter a plea.
Bibi Gopaul, who appeared dazed, was expressionless when the murder charge was read to her. Small, meanwhile, appeared more alert than his co-accused, was seemingly overcome by concern as the capital offence was being read to him.
Prosecutor Lionel Harvey, in presenting the police’s case, told the court that the 16-year-old deceased, who went missing on September 24, was the daughter of Bibi Gopaul who along with Small filed a missing person’s report at the Leonora Police Station three days after. Harvey further said that a group of picnickers who visited the closed Emerald Tower resort on Sunday October 3, made the gruesome discovery of Neesa Gopaul’s body, which was later identified.
According to him, the teen’s decomposing body was found in a suitcase anchored below the creek by a number of heavy metal instruments. Investigations later conducted by the police then led to the arrest of the Bibi Gopaul and Small.
Attorney Vic Puran, who represented Bibi Gopaul, in a two-minute submission made an application for the matter to be transferred to the Leonora Magistrates’ Court for the commencement of an early preliminary inquiry (PI). The magistrate, however, told the lawyer that the case will not be transferred to the West Demerara magisterial district as the murder did not occur there. She then told Puran that the case will be called again at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The two accused were then remanded to prison until October 18 for reports. The defendants, under heavy police guard, arrived at the Court at 2:30 yesterday afternoon. The fleet of police vehicles and armed escorts which accompanied the couple to the court attracted a sizable crowd of curious onlookers who were in the precinct at the time.
Moving at snail’s pace as she entered and exited the court room, Bibi Gopaul had a number of insults hurled at her, to which she gave no response.
Neesa Gopaul’s decomposing remains were stuffed in a suitcase, which was discovered last Saturday anchored in the creek close to the Emerald Tower resort by the picnickers. Her head was bashed in so that her remains appeared headless. A woman who made the discovery said that a large piece of metal was removed from the creek by the police the following day. Investigators subsequently returned to the scene and discovered several dumbbells which were also used to anchor the suitcase to the bottom of the creek. The weights have since been allegedly linked to Small.
The case has caused widespread public outrage and condemnation of those who failed to assist the teenager during a difficult period of abuse in varying forms prior to her death.a
