The Guyana Court of Appeal last week lowered the prison sentences of convicted killers Anthony De Paul Hope and Ralph Tyndall, who were initially sentenced to 62 and 55 years, respectively, for the 2007 murder of 56-year-old Colleen Forrester.
The virtual hearing on Wednesday was presided over by Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, and led by Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards.
Following their appeals, Hope’s sentence has been reduced to 37 years, while Tyndall’s has been adjusted to 32 years. Both sentences will be further reduced by the time already spent in pre-trial custody. The Court of Appeal emphasized the importance of proportional sentencing, noting both men’s lack of prior convictions and their potential for rehabilitation.
Forrester’s murder shocked the nation due to its brutality. As a caretaker of her brother’s property, she was last seen on December 27, 2007. Her body was discovered on January 6, 2008, wrapped in a sheet and submerged in a septic tank at the Campbellville, Georgetown property. A post-mortem examination confirmed she had been strangled and sustained blunt head trauma, with a pestle believed to be the weapon.
Hope, Forrester’s nephew and a resident at the property, was implicated alongside Tyndall. Both were found guilty in 2015 by a jury in a trial overseen by now Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC.
Represented by attorneys Ronald Daniels and Madan Kissoon, Tyndall’s defence argued that the original sentence was excessively harsh, as did Hope’s attorney, Melvin Duke. The State, represented by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Diana Kaulesar-O’Brien, opposed the appeals.
A third defendant, Kevin O’Neil, was initially charged alongside Hope and Tyndall but was acquitted following a no-case submission upheld during the trial. The State later appealed his acquittal, although efforts to contact him for further hearings have been complicated by his change of address. The court has since ordered notification of O’Neil through public announcements.
