By Bebi Oosman
One of the survivors of the 2018 deadly piracy attack yesterday took the stand at the High Court in Berbice where he testified to being chopped by pirates after which he was tied to an anchor and thrown overboard.
While positively identifying one of the accused to be one of the attackers, the survivor recalled that the pirates immediately after invading their boats repeatedly said that “them come to kill.”
Nakool Manohar, also known as ‘Fyah,’ 40, of Lot 1 Number 43 Village, Corentyne, and Premnauth Persaud, 44, also known as ‘Sinbad,’ were jointly charged with the murder of Tilaknauth Mohabir, also known as ‘Kai’ or ‘Kaiman,’ and Mahesh Sarjoo.
The charge states that between April 27th, 2018 and May 3rd, 2018, the two men murdered Mohabir and Sarjoo during the course of a robbery in the Corentyne waters.
On Monday the men pleaded not guilty to the offence causing a 12-member jury to be empanelled for the trial before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Berbice.
The State is being represented by special prosecutor attorney Latchmie Rahamat and State prosecutor, attorney Nafeeza Baig. Manohar is being represented by attorney at law, Mursaline Bacchus, while Persaud is being represented by attorney Horatio Edmondson.
Taking the stand yesterday was Darandeo Persaud also known as “Archie bai”, one of the survivors of the 2018’s deadly pirate attack, which left at least four fishermen dead and several missing and presumed dead.
Persaud in his testimony said that that they were working on the boat called Joshua 1418, when at around 2 am the pirates invaded the boat and said “them come to kill.”
According to Persaud, he along with four others was working on the boat at the time. “One boat pull up and couple people come in the boat and start fa lick up this boat and them say them come fa kill.”
He explained, “When them come in this boat them start fa lick this boat up with cutlass and them say everybody come out, everybody need fa die now…”
He said at that point they were ordered out of the cabin and “them start fa chop… I get several a de chop a me skin.”
He testified, “The first chop wah them chop them put me inside the fish pen to sit down and after that them tek me out and tie pon the anchor and throw me over board.”
He also testified that they chopped one of his workmates and threw him on his lap and “he did done dead.”
Questioned why he presumed he was already dead, Persaud noted, “Because when them throw am pon me lap me na feel he a blow or anything… All wah me do me tek me hand and me say (workmate’s name) if you go, them come fa kill, me got to go too because if them come fa kill and them kill you them got to kill me too.”
According to Persaud, he was able to loose off from the anchor and kick up where he was about forty feet away from his boat. While in the water, he recalled seeing another boat “drive up and them start discharge everything, the fish, the gasoline…”
He noted, that they had forty snappers on the boat at the time of the attack as they had counted it before packing.
The man recalled that he was drifting in the water when around 3 pm another boat came into the area and he started to shout after which he was rescued and taken to Paramaribo.
Meanwhile, Persaud identified the accused Premnauth along with two others of being a part of the attacking group on the boat, “because them in the boat and I recognize them” he stressed, as he positively identified Premnauth also known as “Sinbad” in court.
He also testified that there was light on the boat and nothing was blocking his view from seeing the accused on the boat.
Further, he testified to hearing a shot on the boat as well.
