Nick Skeete, a cousin of one of the seven persons on trial for the 2013 murder of Met-en-meerzorg grocer Zulfikar Namdar, yesterday denied fabricating a story implicating the accused to avoid being charged in connection with the man’s death.
Skeete, a cousin of Allan Dorsett, who had implicated the men in the September, 2013 fatal robbery, vehemently denied the suggestions which were put to him yesterday during cross-examination by attorneys Nigel Hughes, Adrian Thompson and George Thomas at the High Court.
Dorsett, called ‘Baird,’ ‘Fat Man,’ ‘Allan’ and ‘Dada;’ Delwayne Croft; Esan Lawrence, called ‘Muscle;’ Jermaine Williams, called ‘Yankee;’ Andrew Chandler, called ‘Sonic;’ Samuel Bacchus, called ‘Kirk’ and Cassandra Dorsett, also known as Cassandra Singh-Dorsett are accused of murdering Namdar, called ‘Vicky,’ during the furtherance of a robbery committed on September 10th, 2013, at Met-en-meerzorg, West Coast Demerara.
The court heard that the witness had met each of the accused with the exception of Chandler, whom he grew up with, through his cousin, Allan Dorsett. It was disclosed that Skeete had grown up around the Namdars before migrating to Canada, where he lived for a number of years before being deported in 2012 for allegedly shoplifting.
Skeete explained that upon his return to Guyana, he resumed his residency at Met-en-meerzorg, where he lived with his wife. His residence, the court heard, was located some 20 yards away from the home of the deceased.
Further to this, the witness told the court that on the evening of September 10th, 2013, several of the men, who were allegedly armed, visited his home in two cars and in the company of Allan Dorsett, purchased marijuana from him, after which they proceeded to a tree in his yard, where they smoked.
Not long after they left, Skeete said, he heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the Namdar residence.
The witness went on to tell the court that on September 16th, 2013, he was arrested and taken into custody, while on the following day, he was interviewed, gave a police statement and then had confrontations with some of the accused over the days that followed.
Hughes, during cross-examination, sought to establish that Skeete, who was deported, had been strapped for cash following his return to Guyana and had been involved in the plot to rob the Namdars.
The need for finances, he said, could be linked to his decision to sell marijuana, the attorney added. He further suggested that Skeete, who had sought police protection following his statement, had concocted a story implicating the others to get himself out of the situation.
These suggestions were, however, denied by the witness.
Pressing further, Hughes found himself in a debate with Skeete after an attempt to clarify the ground on which Skeete had been arrested.
Initially, Skeete told the court that at the time of his arrest he was not told why he was being arrested, but was later informed that he was arrested in connection with a robbery and murder.
A follow up question by Hughes saw the witness denying the utterances he made just mere minutes before, causing Hughes to request that the court have the benefit of listening to the court’s recorder. This resulted in Skeete seeking to explain what he meant in his initial statements.
Nonetheless, Hughes continued his cross-examination by asking Skeete whether during his interview, police questioned him about the vehicles at the premises that night. In response, Skeete said he told police that two vehicles were in his yard on the night but he didn’t know they had been involved in robbery and murder.
He was also asked about the conversation he allegedly overheard between Allan Dorsett and Chandler while they were out, which Hughes suggested was also a fabrication, Skeete however denied this.
The court heard that Skeete had been the one to enquire from Chandler, who at the time was employed by the Namdars, whether money was kept at the property.
However, Skeete, in his rebuttal, said that he only did so as a means of warning Chandler not to get involved.
Reiterating his earlier point, Hughes suggested to Skeete that he only escaped being charged because he agreed to give evidence against the men. The witness, however, was quick to say that Hughes was wrong. “Somebody bring this work to you, the money di big, 50 to 60 million, and yuh put together a crew. But the mistake yuh make was letting them leave from your house,” Hughes said.
“Allan Dorsett is my cousin. Why would I lie on him?” Skeete said in response.
The final state witnesses are expected to testify today.
Namdar was shot dead when gunmen invaded his grocery store and home around on the evening of September 10th, 2013, and carted off at least $1 million in cash. A young worker was also shot during the attack.
