Sentenced earlier this month to death for murdering his god-brother, British teenager Dominic Bernard, back in 2015 at Kildonan, Corentyne; Aaron Hing has filed an appeal, challenging what he describes as a severe sentence.
His accomplice Staymon George who had admitted guilt for the part he played in the gruesome slaying of the young man, has also filed an appeal—now arguing—that his attorney Ravindra Mohabir had forced him to plead to the charge.
He argues that his guilty plea was “not unequivocal,” while adding, “it was as a result of pressure/inducement” by Mohabir who he names in his notice of appeal.
George has also taken issue with Justice Sandil Kissoon’s acceptance of his plea to the capital offence, arguing that he instead should have accepted a plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
The Appellant’s contention is that the judge erred in this regard, given the facts presented against him by the prosecution.
George said that in those circumstances he is appealing his “conviction” and the life sentence imposed against him for which he was ordered to first serve 35 years, before being eligible for parole consideration.
Meanwhile, Hing in his appeal has argued that his sentence was not only severe, but contends that his trial was also “unfair.”
A date will be given by the appellate court when the appeals will be heard.
Hing had himself also initially pleaded guilty to the crime during his first appearance at the High Court in Berbice.
After a summary of the case was read, however, Justice Kissoon entered a not guilty plea for Hing, who labelled himself a victim in the matter and implicated George.
He subsequently faced a trial at the end of which a jury found him guilty as charged for murdering his god-brother.
Bernard had travelled from London to Guyana on October 14th, 2015. His father had said that the 18-year-old was supposed to have been visiting his god-brother, but there was no trace of him after he cleared customs.
A body suspected to be that of Bernard’s was discovered on January 8th, 2016 in the backlands of Nurney, which is located next to Kildonan. Subsequent DNA testing confirmed that it was indeed his remains.
In issuing the death sentence against Hing, Justice Kissoon told him that he was not fit to live among ordinary people.
Meanwhile; at his sentencing, “heinous, diabolical, calculated and brutal,” were among the words Justice Kissoon had used to describe to George the manner in which he snuffed out the teen’s life; recalling from the evidence that both he and Hing had already dug a grave for the unsuspecting Bernard, way before he boarded his flight from London.
No human being, the judge had said, ought to suffer and or to endure what the teen was subjected to by George and Hing, who was the mastermind.
Attorney Latchmie Rahamat, who prosecuted Hing, had said that Bernard was picked up from the airport by the two, in a rented car.
She had disclosed, that after leaving the airport, the trio went to a restaurant, where they bought food and proceeded to Kildonan School Dam. At that location, she said, the men walked to a short distance away from a three and a half feet grave, which was dug the day prior, by Hing and George.
According to her, Hing had indicated to investigators that he wanted to “get back at” Bernard, whom he claimed caused him to be arrested in London, and so he hatched a plan and told George that they would rob Bernard since he was expected to come with a sum of cash.
She said Hing had told investigators that he used a piece of wood to hit Bernard, causing him to fall to the ground. However, Bernard started to fight back but George then overpowered Bernard and proceeded to beat him with a hammer until he stopped moving. After the young man was no longer moving, the two then placed him into the grave, which they then covered.
