Vindra Siriram was sentenced to 22 years in jail yesterday afternoon for the unlawful killing of his wife Shelly-Ann Persaud, who was found with her head submerged in a half-filled bucket of water.
Although Siriram had been indicted for the capital offence, a 12-member jury last month convicted him on the lesser count of manslaughter by a proportion of 10 to 2.
His sentencing had, however, been deferred to facilitate a probation report.
In his admonition to the convict yesterday, trial judge Justice James Bovell-Drakes told the man to use his time behind bars to reevaluate his conduct, while expressing hope that he will be a good example for persons to follow on his release from prison.
Persaud, a mother of three, was found with her head submerged in a five-gallon bucket of water behind their Lot 34 Friendship Public Road, East Bank Demerara home in June, 2014.
The couple had been together for nine years.
Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh had testified to the woman dying from asphyxiation due to drowning, which was compounded by compression injuries to the neck. He had said that there was evidence of submersion and blunt trauma to the body.
According to reports Persaud had turned up at the home of the woman’s family with the news that he had found her body with her head submerged in a bucket while she sat on the back steps of the home they shared with their three young daughters.
Relatives of the 25-year-old woman had said that Persaud had bite marks to one of his hands, which had prompted the police to take him into custody. The young woman’s father had expressed the view that the two had a fight, during which she bit his hand in resistance. The number of marks, the man had said, “indicated that she had put up a real fight.
The state’s case was led by Prosecutor Seeta Bishundial, in association with state counsel Shawnette Austin.
Meanwhile the convict was represented by Damian Da Silva.
The trial was held at the High Court in Georgetown.
