Teens amongst quartet charged for Murder

Georgetown: Two teenagers were amongst four persons who were charged with Murder on Friday when they appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court for the killing of a

The suspects when they appeared at the magistrate court to answer the charge of Murder.

Thirty year old handyman, Christopher Swamy was shot dead when gunmen launched an attack at his Lot 161 Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara home.

The men Jesse Knights, 32; Osafo Douglas, 19; Vikash Persaud, 23; and Fareed Haniff, 19; were not required to plead to the indictable charge which was read to them by Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul.

They were remanded to prison. According to the prosecution’s facts in relation to the matter, Swamy and his wife, along with two other persons, were liming and imbibing in front of their home when two masked men pounced on them with one brandishing a handgun.

The suspects then allegedly relieved one of the victims of her mobile phone and sum of cash while lashing another male victim to his head with the gun. Christopher was shot in the left region of chest and following that the men fled the scene. The injured man was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The police picked up one of the suspects on the very morning of the robbery and murder. In court on Friday, the men alleged that they were beaten and tortured by a police corporal, who they told the court carried out the act in order to have them sign confession statements.

One of the suspects also showed the magistrate marks of violence which he said he sustained during the torture. He requested that he be allowed to seek medical attention and the request was granted by the magistrate.