Thirty-four-year-old Melroy Doris was this afternoon sentenced to five years in prison for the July 10th, 2014 unlawful killing of Lusignan beautician Ashmini Harriram called “Monesha,” who was shot at the Lusignan Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara.
The former taxi driver had been originally indicted for murder, but earlier last month threw himself at the mercy of the court, pleading to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
Noting that the offence carries a maximum sentence of life, Justice Brassington Reynolds before whom the matter was called, said that in considering both the mitigating and aggravating factors, a penalty range of 10-15 years was appropriate.
The judge told the offender that having regard to the nature and manner of his involvement in the crime, his sentence would commence mid-way the range—at 12 and a ½ years.
Justice Reynolds said he had considered Doris’ age, the fact that he had no previous brushes with the law, the probation report presented on him and the written plea in mitigation laid over to the court by his attorney.
The judge said he considered also, that Doris was not directly involved in the crime, nor was he the shooter.
Justice Reynolds said his reason for not commencing at the lower end of the penalty range is because the Court was of the view that Doris may have been in a position to extricate himself, but instead continued to drive the car allegedly hired by the shooter.
The judge surmised that if Doris’ story is to be believed; that he had been under some amount of duress, he could have nonetheless taken steps to even report the matter after events of that fateful day.
From the 12 and a ½ years, the Court deducted seven years for the time the accused had spent on remand, and a further ½ year for his guilty plea.
On this point the judge, however, noted that no further deduction could be granted since Doris, who previously faced trial on the capital indictment which ended in a hung jury; was essentially not accepting responsibility at the first-given opportunity.
In all of the circumstances, and after all the deductions were made, Justice Reynolds informed that the sentence to be imposed would be five years.
Doris had been jointly charged for the capital offence along with Lennox Wayne called ‘Two Colours.’
The indictment between the two was severed following Doris’ guilty plea. Wayne remains on remand awaiting trial for the murder.
Both men had faced trial for the young woman’s murder back in 2017 but were awaiting a retrial after a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Doris, according to a caution statement (CS) he did not deny giving to the police, had said that on the day in question, he was hired by a person to be transported to Lusignan.
Upon arrival in the area, Doris said that he and the person who hired him, passed two girls at a corner, at which point he was asked to stop the vehicle.
According to Doris’ statement, which had been read to the court during the first trial, after the vehicle came to a halt, the man who hired him 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, the man returned to the car, placed the gun to his head, and ordered him to drive.
Prosecutor Tyra Bakker said that Doris had confessed to being the “getaway driver.”
She said an autopsy revealed that Harriram died as a result of respiratory failure and gunshot injury to the spine.
Doris was represented by defence attorney Stanley Moore SC.
