Madam Justice Roxanne George yesterday sentenced Ramnaught Doobay to 17 years imprisonment for the 2005 murder of businessman Mark Anthony Gill. Doobay was sentenced a year for each time he stabbed the deceased.
The sentencing came after a plea bargaining agreement was struck between defence attorney former Justice Jainarine Singh and Prosecutor Nigel Hughes.
On July 7, 2005, the defendant murdered Gill, 31, at his Vreed-en-hoop, West Coast Demerara home. Gill, called ‘Markie,’ was found in a pool of blood in his bedroom.
Before sentencing Doobay, Justice George asked the parents of the deceased whether they wished to address the court. The offer, which is provided for under the plea bargaining legislation, was declined. When given the same opportunity, Doobay was very remorseful.
Doobay, also known as ‘Rahul’ and ‘Vishal,’ told the Gills that he was very sorry for what he had done and that he understood their pain. The “mental anguish” which he feels, Doobay said, is a miserable thing to endure and far worse than any pain anyone can feel.
During the proceedings, the court heard that on the night of July 7, 2005, Doobay went to the house of the deceased and attacked him, stabbing him 17 times about the body. One of the wounds severed Gill’s jugular.
After fatally wounding the deceased, Doobay and another man, Manzoor, travelled “back track” to Suriname. Evidence given in court revealed that while in the neighbouring country, Doobay and Manzoor contacted spiritualist Henry Purpleheart and told him that he [Doobay] had murdered a man by stabbing him about the body.
Based on the terms of service, the couple was obligated to divulge the name of the deceased to the spiritualist and supplied him with the name of Gill. Purpleheart’s assistant subsequently indicated that his fore parents went by the name Gill and it was against their code of conduct to assist anyone who had harmed a relation or potential relation.
A telephone call was made to the Gills in Guyana and police were subsequently informed of the event and location of Doobay and Manzoor. The duo was later arrested in Suriname, brought back to Guyana. Doobay was charged in September 2005 with Mark Gill’s murder.
In his statement of mitigation, defence attorney Singh told the court that Doobay is from a very religious family and that his father and grandfathers are priests. Before his incarceration, Singh told the court, his client was gainfully employed in the field of graphic arts. Doobay, he further told the court, is the father of two children who are currently in their teens.
However, the judge, noting the severity of the wounds inflicted about Gill’s body, described the act committed by Doobay as “evil” and said that he had “betrayed the trust of a friend.” She then explained that she would sentence Doobay one year for each of the 17 stab wounds he caused Gill to suffer.
Hughes had earlier requested that the court not take into consideration the time Doobay spent in prison before trial.
On February 11, 2009 Doobay and Manzoor were committed to stand trial in the High Court. Manzoor had been charged with being an accessory after the fact to the same offence (the murder of Gill). Manzoor allegedly received, relieved, comforted and assisted Doobay, after July 8, 2005 and beyond.
