Chandrashekhar Itwaru, 43, slashed the belly of ex lover Jasmattie Isaacs, after he was thrown out of his mother in law’s house , at Ankerville, Port Mourant , Corentyne, after complaints of abuse were highlighted.
As a result of his action, Justice Jo Ann Barlow yesterday imposed her maiden sentence of 15 years at the Berbice Assizes where she is presiding for the first time.
Moments earlier, the jury had returned a unanimous verdict of guilty of attempted murder. There was an alternative indictment of wounding with intent but the mixed panel chose the first count, which stated that on November 16, 2013 he wounded Jasmattie Isaacs called Rohnie with intent to murder her.
State Counsel Stacy Goodings in presenting the facts, through four witnesses, revealed that during 2013, Itwaru, along with the victim and her two children, were living together at Isaacs mother’s home at Lot 208 Ankerville, Port Mourant. The couple had an on-and-off relationship which spanned nine years. However during that period he did not father her children.
On November 16, 2013, at approximately 0700hrs, the victim was bathing, adjacent to her mother’s bathroom in the backyard, when Itwaru suddenly appeared.
He stood next to her, and was armed with a lance, and a knife. He placed the knife to her throat and began slashing her belly with the lance. Injuries were also inflicted on her left hand, the right side of her head, and the right side of her breast.
Whilst inflicting the injuries, the victim was told she would be killed, even as blood flowed from the freshly incised wounds, resulting in her losing consciousness.
She was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital, before being transpor-ted to the New Amsterdam Hospital, before being transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
Vijwattie Isaacs known as Leela, mother of the victim, in her evidence had related, that she had put Itwaru out of her home weeks before because he was ill-treating her daughter and his stepchildren.
When the incident occurred, she had been in her front yard picking flowers to use in her prayers when she heard her grandchildren hollering for her to come and see what was happening.
She kicked off her slippers and ran to the backyard which is about thirty feet away, and there, she saw , ‘this boy bore the gyal and I holler’.
The witness said, the man in the dock, had two things in his hands, a knife and a lance. She was six feet away from him, as he inflicted the injuries. She pelted the accused and began shouting for people, but by the time they got there Itwaru ran and bore a hole in the fence from where he escaped.
Meanwhile, prior to imposing the sentence, Itwaru said he had nothing to say, after he was questioned by the judge.
Thereafter, the judge , directing her comments to the man in the dock said, it was brought to her attention, that on November 6, 2013, ten days before the incident, he had assaulted the same victim, and caused bodily harm, which resulted in him being sentenced to four months imprisonment on October 27, 2014 .
“You were not satisfied. You returned on the 16 November, and attacked her again, resulting in this matter.
What you did was wrong. Society frowns on such behaviour. The Court is one of the voices which speaks for the society. The Court cannot condone with such vicious, malicious and unnecessary action. If the relationship has ended, be it man or woman , we must be prepared to go our separate ways”, she posited.
“You are sentenced to fifteen years. Whatever period you spent in custody awaiting trial, that will be deducted “, she said.
Itwaru was unrepresented.
