Dhanraj Theophilus has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars for the 2018 fatal beating of his then 18-year-old common-law wife, Lorinda Thomas, with whom he shared a child.
The sentence was handed down yesterday morning at the High Court in Demerara by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, following the presentation of a probation and other social impact reports.
The Judge has ordered that Theophilus participate in the prison’s rehabilitative programmes such as alcoholic anonymous (AA) sessions, vocational training and the family reconciliation programme.
From the 12 years imposed, she has directed the prison to grant remission for the period the offender would have spent on remand awaiting sentencing.
At his arraignment last month, Theophilus pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing the teen on January 18th, 2018, at Barima Line, Baramita, North West District.
He had been originally charged with murder, but pleaded to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
According to the statement of agreed facts presented to the court, at sometime around 2 pm on January 14th, 2018, the two were involved in an argument during which Theophilus told his wife that he no longer wanted her and she should “go her way.”
Following that argument, the two left for the woman’s house.
Prosecutors say that two days later, the teen left her home to visit a friend and as she was on her way, she encountered the offender who shouted at, and pushed her to the ground and began kicking her in the stomach.
The young woman was rendered unconscious.
The state’s case led by prosecutor Caressa Henry, detailed that about an hour later, the injured teen who was lying in the grass regained consciousness, got up and managed to make it home though she had been in pain.
The court was told that the next day—January 18th—the young woman woke up feeling weaker and with greater pain in her stomach.
As a result, she visited the Baramita Health Centre where she was admitted, and while there gave the police a written statement detailing the incident on the previous day involving her husband.
Thomas died later that said night as preparations were being made to fly her to the city for medical attention.
Contacted by the police, the prosecution said that Theophilus admitted under caution to beating the woman.
According to his written caution statement which he gave to police, the offender said that his teen wife had left home on January 17th to attend classes at Central Baramita, North West District but never returned.
He said that at approximately 10:00 that night, he arrived at Barima Line in search of her but came up empty.
From there, he said he then decided to visit the home of the young woman’s brother and sister who took him to the camp belonging to a man, where Thomas was found sleeping with their child in a hammock.
The discovery the court was told, led to an argument during which Theophilus accused his wife of being unfaithful.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Thomas suffered multiple abrasions about the body and bruising to her lips.
The cause of death was given as haemorrhage and shock due to multiple blunt trauma.
The offender was represented by attorney Teriq Mohamed.
