Advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) must be sought before the preliminary inquiry into the murder charge against the five men accused of killing kidnapped Enmore businessman Rajendra Singh can begin.
The quintet accused of the murder appeared once again yesterday before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru informed Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry that he had just received the file and required two weeks’ adjournment.
Doodnauth “Pumpkin” Ketwaroo, 26, of 365 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara; Tony Thomas, 27, of 7 Bel Air Village, Georgetown; Michael “Jet Lee” Lewis, 37, of 65 Sheriff Street, George-town; Adony James, 31, of 171 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown and Sheldon Chase, 28, of 349 Pike Street Kitty, Georgetown are alleged to have murdered Singh, between April 5 and April 9, at Le Repentir Cemetery.
During their initial appearance, claims of torture and abuse at the hands of the police had been raised by four of the men’s lawyers.
Yesterday, attorney-at-law Peter Hugh went on record for Ketwaroo and James while Adrian Thompson said that he was Chase’s lawyer.
Ketwaroo and James had initially been represented by attorneys-at-law Gordon Gilhuys and Sedella Ferrell respectively.
It is unclear whether Thomas, previously represented by James Bond, and Lewis, who had retained Gilhuys, still have legal counsel.
The men are due to return to court on June 9 for report and fixtures.
Rajendra Singh’s body was discovered on the morning of April 9 in the Le Repentir Cemetery with his hands bound and a gunshot wound to his head. The discovery came four days after the car dealer was kidnapped from his business place and a multi-millionaire dollar ransom demanded for his safe return.
