The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder charge against Robert Benn, the contractor accused of shooting at a couple last year, officially ended with him being committed to stand trial for the crime.
Benn was originally charged with murdering Collin Perreira and discharging a loaded firearm at Gailann Chacon with intent to commit murder on August 23, 2016, at Georgetown.
Magistrate Dylon Bess, prior to committing Benn to stand trial yesterday,
told the court that it was the duty of the prosecutor to prove five aspects of the case beyond a reasonable doubt; that is, if the accused caused or inflicted injuries to the deceased, if the defendant intended to inflict injuries on the deceased, if Perreira died as a result of the injuries he sustained from the shooting, if his death was within a day or a year of his injuries and if the accused was not acting in self-defence.
According to the magistrate, these elements were all proven by the prosecution through the 16 witnesses that gave evidence and who were not discredited by the defence.
Magistrate Bess stated that he believed the prosecutor presented a very strong case and that they satisfied all elements for the offence of murder.
He said it was upon these bases that a prima facie case was established against Benn and called upon him to answer to the charge.
Benn, after consulting with his attorney Ronald Burch-Smith, opted to reserve his defence for the High Court. As a result, he was committed to stand trial at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Assizes to be held at the High Court.
