Jamal Forde, the second man charged with the murder of Sophia businessman Shawn Anys, who was killed almost two years ago by armed bandits, was last week committed to stand trial by a magistrate.
When the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder charge against Forde, 22, of South Sophia, concluded at the Sparendaam Magis-trate’s Court on May 2, Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul told the accused that the court had found sufficient evidence for him to stand trial at the High Court before a judge and a jury for the murder of Anys.
Before the Magistrate’s decision, Police Prosecutor Ayesha Gibbons submitted that the court should take into account the considerable amount of evidence which had been produced by police and eyewitnesses’ testimonies.
In April last year, Forde was read a charge which
stated that on May 1, 2015, at ‘D’ Field, Sophia, he along with others murdered Anys during the course of a robbery. The accused was not required to plead to the charge.
Meanwhile, Forde’s alleged accomplice in the murder, Odel Roberts, 20, of Lot 124 ‘C’ Field, Sophia, who was also charged with the murder, was committed to stand trial in the High
Court at the conclusion of his PI.
