Security increased as historic murder trial nears end
MORE Police were deployed in and around the courtroom yesterday as the historic murder trial at the Demerara Assizes neared its end. The spectators gallery was crowded with relatives of the deceased and the prisoners as well as the curious. And the increased security was noticeable on the resumption before Justice Winston Moore began summing up in the case started nearly two months ago when the 15 accused were arraigned in a specially constructed dock. The 14 men and a woman indicted have made history in the criminal jurisdiction of this country, because it is the first time so many people are being tried on a single indictment for the capital offence. They are Gildharie Tulram (Rakesh) 22, Ramesh (Edwin) 47, Sookraj Ramgobin (Sonna) 18, Latchman Ramesh (Rohan) 25, Nandram Ramesh (Pajoi) 18, Mohanlall Doodnauth (Rajesh) 19, Chaitram Doodnauth (Maholie) 21, Balram Ramkarran (Sham) 26, Gangaram Achaibar (Boyo) 17, Pooramal Bissessar (Lil Ramo) 19, Roopnarine (Fry Fish or Whistler) 18, Ramdas Sanka (Big Ramo) 24, Deodat Doodnauth (Ganesh) 20, Danesh Doodnauth (Chubby) 17 and Dharandai Doodnauth (Baba). The case for the Prosecution, presented by a team led by State Counsel Roxanne George, is that the group, believing Nankumar Sukhoo nicknamed `Boyso' was a Police informer, torched his house and killed him when he emerged from the burning building at Joe Hook, Mahaica Creek, East Coast Demerara, on October 11, 1993. Senior Counsel Peter Britton and other attorney-at-law Mr Jainarayan Singh are appearing for the Defence. Nineteen witnesses testified and, because of the nature of the case, it would require detailed directions on such issues as acting in concert, identification, recognition, discrepancies, inconsistencies, credibility and the demeanour of those who gave evidence. Justice Moore has split his summation in two parts, the first commenced yesterday and the second to be concluded today for the jury to deliberate on the outcome. The judge admonished the jurors yesterday that justice is blind to emotions and exhorted them to hold the scales evenly. "You must not show any sympathy for either the accused or the relatives of the deceased and must return a verdict in accordance with the believable evidence, whether it be guilty or not guilty," he charged them. He said they are to consider the role of each accused person at the scene and the defence of every individual, separately, as they would be called upon to arrive at separate verdicts. Justice Moore stressed that, if two inferences can be drawn with equal value, one favouring the Prosecution and the other the Defence, they must use that which is in favour of the latter. (George Barclay) 
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