Farmer Samiull Intiaz Shaw, also known as ‘Taliban’ and his farmhand, Ramsammy Angrashalam, called ‘Babs,’ were both sentenced on Monday on a charge of attempted murder at the Berbice High Court.
Shaw, 52, was sentenced to 17 years in jail, while Angrashalam, 56, was sentenced to 12 years by Justice Franklyn Holder, who had presided over their trial.
On January 21, a jury had found both men guilty of trying to kill Bijai Ramdass at Crabwood Creek, but sentencing was deferred to facilitate probation reports on them.
Before sentencing, Shaw expressed remorse over the crime, while Angrashalam maintained his innocence.
The indictment, to which they both had pleaded not guilty, had stated that on January 16, 2012, at Crabwood Creek, they discharged a loaded firearm at Ramdass, with intent to murder him.
As a result of the attack, Ramdass was blinded in his right eye and is now confined to a wheelchair.
Ramdass, during his testimony at the trial, had related that he had a previous arrangement with Shaw, with whom he planted plantains. However, their deal fell apart and Shaw had refused to pay him, prompting him to file legal proceedings against him.
On the day of the shooting, he said, he went to their plantain farm at Crabwood Creek along with a worker, Hazrat Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, however, sustained an injury before they started reaping and as a result Ramdass called his brother, Jagdeo, for help. Ramdass and Ibrahim were in a boat when they saw the accused. He said Shaw pointed a long gun at him and he then heard an explosion.
Ramdass recalled being shot. He said he eventually made efforts to move the boat but Angrashalam threw a bicycle tube in front of his boat and pulled the vessel towards Shaw, whom, he said, threatened to cut out his tongue and dig out his eyes.
Ramdass said Angrashalam tried to lift him out of the boat but he managed to pull a cutlass and chopped him to the back of his neck, forcing him to flee. He said Shaw then fired another shot at his face.
Ramdass said he pretended to be dead and afterward he saw the accused men running towards the backlands. He was subsequently taken to the Skeldon Hospital before being transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital.
In their respective unsworn statements to the court, the now convicted men had denied the victim’s account and instead alleged that it was his brother who had done the shooting.
The jury, however, was not convinced and found unanimously both men guilty.
A probation report said Shaw is a Canadian citizen and a married father of six school-aged children. He was employed in Canada but he would farm in Guyana during quarterly visits.
A report said Angrashalam was employed at the Crabwood Creek Neighbourhood Democratic Council and also worked part-time for Shaw. He is the father of five children, one of whom is also a convicted prisoner at the New Amsterdam Prison.
Shaw, who was found to be the mastermind of the attack, initially faced a 22-year-long sentence but Justice Holder deducted five years due to a favourable probation report on him. Similarly, five years were deducted from Angrashalam’s sentence as well. “You are following blindly. You were an employee of Mr Shaw; that does not mean that you follow instructions that was wrong. You are a mature person,” the judge told Angrashalam.
Meanwhile, Justice Holder voiced disappointment over what he described as a lack of professionalism in the reports presented by Senior Probation and Social Welfare Officer Voonashewarie Gopal.
The judge noted that the report was intended to be an investigative one and as a result the information garnered from Ramdass and the names of the other persons should have been recorded. The judge questioned the officer with respect the period of her employment, and, whether there was on-the-job training.
“You were asked to complete a report to assist us with the sentencing of the accused men. Greater effort must be exercised. Be professional,” he admonished her.
State attorney Natasha Backer led the prosecution’s case, while the convicts were represented by attorneys Murselene Bacchus and Perry Gossai.
