A Sara Johanna resident was yesterday remanded to prison after he was charged with the 2016 murder of Seon Clarke, who was the suspected victim of a vigilante killing at Pearl, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Moses Singh, 59, of Lot 12 Sara Johanna, East Bank Demerara, was read the murder charge by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.
The charge alleged that Singh on August 20, 2016, at Pearl, EBD, murdered Seon Clarke.
Singh was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge.
Police prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told the court that the file in relation to the matter is complete.
Attorney Latchmie Rahamat, who represented the accused, told the court that Singh travelled to the US to receive medical treatment. She added that during his last medical examination, conducted on March 12, 2018, the doctor indicated that it was medically necessary for Singh to remain in the US as a result of the surgeries he would have undergone. Rahamat noted that her client has had at least three surgeries.
The Chief Magistrate then asked the attorney what her client was doing in Guyana if it was medically necessary for him to remain in the United States.
Rahamat responded by stating that a man went to her client’s home in the US claiming to be a member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and immigration, and escorted him to the airport, where he was later handed over to GPF ranks. She went on to state that Singh was in the country months before the incident occurred and months after, urging the court to take heed of the circumstances surrounding his arrest and the medical treatment that he would require. Rahamat then requested that the Guyana Prison Service ensure that Singh is seen by a certified medical practitioner.
The attorney was urged to lay over copies of the defendant’s medical documentation to the prison authority.
Prosecutor Mansfield, in response to the attorney’s allegation of a man escorting the defendant, noted that immigration records would reveal that the defendant came back into the country on his own accord and was not brought back.
The Chief Magistrate subsequently remanded the accused and adjourned the matter to May 17.
Clarke, 26, was shot and killed and his friend was beaten by residents at Pearl, East Bank Demerara, after the proprietor of a shop noticed two men acting suspiciously around his business.
The police had said in a statement that Clarke and his friend visited a grocery store and were allegedly behaving in a suspicious manner, prompting the owner of the business to run out onto the road and raise an alarm. A police officer, who was passing at the time, responded to the alert and the men escaped into the surrounding bushes, it added.
During the ensuing search, police said, two loud explosions were heard but the two men remained elusive and were not found until later that night, around 11.30 pm, on the Pearl Public Road, by members of the community. The statement said that Clarke was shot by a resident and his friend was beaten before they were handed over to the police.
The injured men were rushed to the Diamond Public Hospital, where Clarke was pronounced dead on arrival and his friend was treated for minor injuries and then taken into police custody. (Oliceia Tinnie)
