Justice Navindra Singh yesterday admitted into evidence the caution statements of the four accused on trial for the murder of Motilall Singh.
Justice Singh made the decision to allow the statements at the conclusion of a voir dire (trial within a trial) on their admissibility.
Bib Farida Khan, called ‘Pum,’ Shamiza Khan, called ‘Sham,’ Hoosman Khan, called ‘Strong Man,’ Bisoondial Mahadeo, called ‘Weed Man,’ all of Windsor Forest, are on trial for the murder of Singh, which occurred on September 7, 2009 at Windsor Forest. The bloodied body of Singh was found close to a tiny bridge at Second Street, Windsor Forest. A post-mortem examination revealed that he had been stabbed 21 times.
A fifth person, Ayube Hamid, called ‘Little,’ was also charged with the murder but he died while in prison.
The statement of the number one accused, Mahadeo, was read to the court by Police Sergeant Narine Lall yesterday. In the statement, Mahadeo said that six days prior to the murder, he was with his friend ‘Little’ at Windsor Forest Second Street talking with him and his wife, Shameeza.
He then said that they told him that they wanted him to kill ‘Uncle Motie’ because he want to sell out the house with them inside and that there would be a good chance when Motie was returning home from drinking that night. “…Little tell meh that if meh go with he pon de wuk he gon give me $100,000 and me tell he alright.
Sir, this morning about 10’clock me bin deh home when Little come and call meh and tell meh that all the arrangements in place,” Mahadeo said in his statement.
“Sir meh see he with a black handled knife and me and he walk and go to Windsor Forest First Street and abee sit down pon di road side bench and 10 minutes after one bus stop on di public road and meh see Motie and he cousin Hoosman come out.
When they reach next to me and Little, Little scramble Motie on he neck and start jook he. Motie start fight back and Little shout for me then meh help Little hold Motie and he give him couple more jooks in he belly and me see he fall down and after that me run and go home,” his statement read.
Attorney Glenn Hanoman is appearing for Mahadeo, while Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos is appearing for the other three accused. Senior State Counsel Judith Gildharie-Mursalin is presenting the state’s case.
Lall, who is now attached to the Cove and John Police Station, was attached to the Leonora Police Station at the time of the murder.
In his evidence-in-chief, he told the court that he took the caution statement of the accused. According to Lall, on September 7, 2009 at 12:00 hrs, he escorted Mahadeo to his Windsor Forest home along with a party of policemen and the accused went under a bed and took out a coil of $1000 notes and handed him.
He said when he checked the money it was $89,000. Lall said that Mahadeo had told him that he had received the said money to commit a crime. He stated that while at the station he lodged the money in a white envelope which he initialed and left it with the station sergeant.
Hanoman, in his cross-examination, made several suggestions to the witness. He suggested to Lall that he was not being honest as he had not stated before that he had offered the accused a phone call.
Another witness, Constable Keith Brandford testified that he held a confrontation between the now deceased Hamid and Mahadeo on September 8, 2009 at 17:00 hrs and during this confrontation Mahadeo said, “Sir the knife wah me stab the man with in the trench.”
Under cross-examination by Hanoman, Brandford said he went to the crime scene twice and that he had a police photographer with him the second time.
He also said that he saw the accused playing with the knife blade in the trench but he did not know if the photographer took a photograph of that.
De Santos, in his cross-examination, asked the witness if the saw the accused with a knife in his hand before he came out of the water and he said yes. He was also asked if he asked the photographer for any photographs from the crime scene and he replied no.
The case is continuing today.
