Suraj Veersammy was yesterday jailed for 25 years for killing his wife whose battered body was found stuffed into a partially submerged barrel at Belvedere, Corentyne in April 2020.
In December last year, Veersammy, also known as `Radesh’, 30, a labourer, of Belvedere Village was arraigned at the High Court in Berbice before Justice Navindra Singh for the offence of murder.
However, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter which read that on April 9, 2020, he unlawfully killed Devika Vickram.
Veersammy yesterday returned to court to be sentenced and he told the judge that he was sorry and also that a life was lost.
However, state prosecutor Nafeeza Baig, asked the court to note that the deceased was only 22 years old when she was killed. She also asked, that “the prevalence of this type of offence in today’s society, senseless violence leading to senseless deaths, the fact that not only did this accused hang the deceased but he even went further to dispose of her body in a barrel and then throw that barrel in a trench” be taken into consideration.
She then pointed out that the accused is known to the courts and the prison system and he showed no remorse for taking the woman’s life.
She then called on the court to hand down a sentence that “reflects the nature and gravity of the offence.”
Justice Singh in sentencing the man to 25 years in prison with the possibility of parole after completing twenty years, said, Veersammy has demonstrated “absolutely no remorse… And in court he is clear that he has no regrets about what happened.”
The judge started the sentence at thirty years, however, five years were added for the matter being that of domestic violence, and three years were then added for his criminal history as he has served sentences four previous times for simple larceny, robbery under arms and break and enter.
Ten years were then deducted from the sentence for the early guilty plea and three years for time spent on remand.
“You are sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and you will be eligible for parole after serving twenty years”, the judge told him yesterday.
The battered body of Vickram also known as “Vanessa”, formerly of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, was found in a barrel in a trench at R and S Street in April, 2020.
The body with visible marks of violence was found head down in the blue plastic barrel, which was partly submerged in the trench. The body, which was clad in a green and white striped dress, was discovered with a green, white and black peacock bed sheet wrapped tightly around the neck.
Marks of violence were also noticed around the woman’s left eye, stomach, left shoulder, left hand and left leg.
Following the discovery, Veersammy was arrested under the Canje Bridge and later confessed that he murdered the woman on April 9, 2020.
He had said that after he and Vanessa started a relationship they decided to leave their place of shelter to start a life together on their own. A source had said the accused claimed that Vanessa would often nag at him which would start their fights.
Residents in the area had said that they last saw the woman on the morning of April 9. They recalled hearing the couple fighting on the said day.
The man had said during the fight he took a sheet to hang himself but instead he struck the woman in the head, hung her, cut her down and then stuffed her face down into a barrel and after which he dumped her in a nearby trench.
