A dredge owner, charged with killing another man at Agricola last year March, yesterday told a city court that he was beaten by the police to sign a confession.
Jamil Junior Young, also known as Jamil Charles, 29, of 167 Cummings Lodge, showed Chief magistrate Ann McLennan where he claimed he was beaten by police to sign a statement confessing to the murder of Randy Persaud.
It is alleged that Young on March 10th, 2015, at Agricola, East Bank Demerara, murdered Persaud. Young, who appeared unrepresented, was not required to plead to the capital charge.
Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers informed the court Young did sign a confession statement while he was in police custody. He said that a few additional statements are needed to complete the police file on the matter.
However, Young continued to deny that he signed a statement. He said that the police beat him on the bottom of his feet and pushed a gun into his mouth, while demanding that he sign the statement. “I did not sign to anything my worship. Look how they beat me and my foot bottom swell up, they damage the foot cuffs they had on my foot when they were beating me,” Young told the court.
The chief magistrate, after hearing from the accused and the prosecutor, remanded Young to prison. His matter was then adjourned until November 17th for report.
Persaud, called ‘Billo,’ was shot dead by a gunman at Second Street, Agricola. At the time of the shooting he was sitting on a log in front of his home. He sustained gunshot injuries to his foot, hand and chest. Police had said in a press release that the 27-year-old was sitting in front of his home around when “a man approached and discharged several rounds at him and escaped.”
