Murder accused Lennox Wayne called ‘Two Colours,’ who is currently on remand for the 2014 murder of Lusignan beautician Ashmini Harriram, is pleading with the High Court to grant him bail while it considers his application for the capital charge against him to be stayed, arguing that his right to a fair and timely hearing has been violated.
In 2017, Wayne and his co-accused Melroy Doris had faced trial for the young woman’s murder, but a jury was hung, thus resulting in the need for a new trial.
In a Fixed Date Application (FDA), however, Wayne says that while his case has repeatedly been listened in successive assizes since then, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has failed to commence any new trial.
Wayne who describes himself in his FDA as an ex paid informant for the police says that his name has been listed for trial every year since 2017, but that all his attorneys’ requests of the DPP for the matter to be heard have proven futile.
The murder accused said that his lawyers had engaged the State with the view of a possible plea bargain.
He complained, however, that the DPP “proposed terms and conditions that were onerous and with a prospective sentence that exceeded that contemplated by the Criminal Law Offences Act,” for a finding of guilty.
Wayne said that his name was listed for trial as recently as January and his lawyers had communicated to the DPP their readiness to proceed, but again to no avail.
Though Wayne indicated his request for a plea bargain, he deposed in his FDA that he has always maintained “and protested” his innocence advancing his defence of alibi.
The prisoner said that he had given police a detailed account of his whereabouts on the day and time of the murder.
According to Wayne, during the time in question, he was at the Police Headquarters at Eve Leary in the company of a police officer.
Wayne deposed that he had previously testified on behalf of the State in a matter against that officer whom he did not name, noting that the individual had been committed to stand trial and he (Wayne) has been slated to be the main witness for the state against the officer.
Emphasizing that his matter is yet to be heard four years on, Wayne says that his constitutional right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time has been infringed, for which he is seeking damages in excess of $100,000 with interest.
He also wants the court to grant him bail pending the hearing and determination of his FDA and to permanently stay the capital charge levelled against him.
He is asking too for court costs and any further order the court deems just to grant.
Wayne is being represented by attorneys Nigel Hughes and Ronald Daniels.
Wayne and Doris are accused of murdering Harriram called “Munesha,”no July 10th, 2014, at Lusignan Railway Embank-ment, East Coast Demerara.
Doris, a taxi driver, according to a caution statement (CS) that he did not deny giving to the police, had said that on the day in question, he was hired by Wayne, who asked to be transported to Lusignan.
Upon arrival in the area, Doris said they passed two girls at a corner and just then Wayne asked him to stop the vehicle.
According to Doris’ statement, which had been read to the court, after the vehicle came to a halt, “Two Colours” whipped out a gun, exited the car, and shot one of the two girls.
It was Harriram who was fatally wounded.
Doris had said that after the shooting, “Two Colours” return-ed to the car, placed the gun to his head, and ordered him to drive.
According to a caution statement which police say Wayne gave to them, however, he alleg-ed that Doris had approached him with the hit. Wayne, however, vehemently denied ever giving the statement to police.
The court had heard from the CS that Doris, with whom Wayne had become acquainted one month before the killing, told him of a “work” he wanted him, [Wayne] to get done.
The statement detailed Wayne as saying that after joining Doris’ car on the day in question, Doris retrieved a nickel-coloured handgun from beneath the seat and handed it to him.
After arriving at a location at Lusignan, the court had heard that Doris had pointed out one of two girls to Wayne, drove close to where they were and stopped the car—Wayne then exited and shot Harriram in the head, before grabbing her cellphone.
According to the statement, Wayne allegedly said they then fled the scene. He also reportedly said that Doris had promised to pay him $2.5 million for the job, but he never received any money.
