Bibi Sharima-Gopaul, who was convicted and sentenced for the murder of her 16-year-old daughter Neesa Gopaul, has been granted special leave to appeal the conviction and her jail sentence by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The court’s decision was based on a Notice of Application for Special Leave to appeal the decision of Guyana’s Court of Appeal of Guyana, which on August 31, 2021, upheld the convictions of Sharima-Gopaul and her co-accused, Jarvis Small.
It also considered an affidavit filed on Sharima-Gopaul’s behalf and the affidavit in opposition, filed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“AND UPON CONSIDERING that there is a realistic possibility that a serious miscarriage of justice may have occurred, that genuinely disputable points of law of public importance have been raised and that the issues and points raised on behalf of the Applicant appear to be arguable and, in the interests of justice, ought to be fully ventilated at a hearing AND HAVING REGARD to Rule 9.7(c) of the Caribbean Court of Justice (Appellate Jurisdiction) Rules, 2021 IT IS ORDERED THAT: The Applicant be granted special leave to appeal,” a notice from the CCJ, which was seen by Stabroek News, states.
Sharima-Gopaul and Small were both found guilty by a jury in 2015 for the gruesome murder of the former Queen’s College student, whose remains were found on October 2, 2010, stuffed in a suitcase that was dumped in a creek at the Emerald Tower resort.
Lawyers for the convicts subsequently filed appeals to challenge their convictions and sentences, arguing that trial judge Navindra Singh committed several errors during the conduct of the trial, including the admittance of evidence that was prejudicial and failing to properly direct the jury.
While the local appeal court upheld the convictions, it also reduced Sharima-Gopaul’s previous 106-year jail sentence to 45 years, while Small’s 96-year sentence was reduced to 45 years as well.
Delivering the ruling on the challenges to the convictions, acting Chancellor Yonette Cummings-Edwards had said the Court found that in all the circumstances, the Court said it found “no substantial miscarriage of justice.”
Sharima-Gopaul is being represented by attorney Arudranauth Gossai.
