Georgetown: A father and son that beat a relative to death in 2015 over a land dispute at Handsome Tree Mahaica, East Coast Demerara were sentenced on Tuesday to a total of 85 years imprisonment before Justice Navindra Singh.
Sukhdeo Dharamdat, 54, called “Toney” and his son, 25-year-old Eshwardat Dharamdat called “Bruddow” were found guilty before a 12-member mixed jury, at the High Court.
Sukhdeo was sentenced to 65 years for the capital offence while his son was sentenced to 20 years for manslaughter.
The duo was on trial for the murder of Suresh Nandkishore, who was killed on February 3, 2015, at Handsome Creek, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara.
The state was represented by prosecutors Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed, while the father and son were represented by attorneys-at-law Pamela DaSantos, Brandon DaSantos and Alanna Lall.
The jury, after more than two hours of deliberation, found Sukhdeo Dharamdat guilty of the charge while his son, Eshwardat was found guilty of manslaughter.
Several witnesses were called during the trial, including the victim’s brother, Parmanand Nandkishore.
Parmanand explained that, on the day in question, his brother and father, Bhopaul Nandkishore, were repairing a fence on a plot of land. The witness explained that during that time there was a dispute with his family and the Dharamdat family over the land.
However, as they were working on the fence, Sukhdeo came and asked his father what they were doing.
The witness recalled that his father told Sukhdeo that they were repairing the fence on their side of the land. Parmanand explained that Sukhdeo made no objection and left. Sukhdeo however later returned with his son, Eshwardat, who was armed with a cutlass.
The witness said that the Dharamdats subsequently ended up in a heated argument with his father and brother. As a result, his father told Suresh ‘let us leave and go home’, but the Dharamdats pushed Suresh and he fell to the ground.
Parmanand told the court that Sukhdeo and Eshwardat picked up a wooden post that was meant for the fence and dealt several lashes to his brother’s head, blows that cracked open his skull. He recalled that his father went to his brother’s aid, shouting, ‘Y’all don’t kill me son.’ The witness added the Dharamdats then turned their attention to his father and him; his father was beaten with a post by Eshwardat, while he was beaten by the same attacker with a cutlass.
In court, Parmanand showed the 12-member mixed jury his wounds sustained from the attack, as he explained that he played dead to survive the onslaught.
As he pretended to be dead, the witness recalled hearing Sukhdeo telling his son ‘we got to kill all them man or we gon go jail.’ Parmanand explained that the Dharamdats pushed his father and brother into a muddy trench and left on their tractor.
The witness explained that because of the injuries his father received at the hands of the Dharamdats, he suffers from seizures and memory loss.
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