2016 Barima farmer killing: Man released on time served

A 22-year-old man who was jailed for two years and eight months for killing a farmer back in 2016 has been released from prison on time served.

He was charged at the age of 17, and as such, he cannot be named due to the Juvenile Justice Act, which prohibits the publication of the name of a minor or any other information related to a minor accused of a crime.

The now-adult was initially indicted for the capital offence of murder when he appeared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the High Court.

However, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, thereby admitting that on November 23, 2016, at Ela Landing in the North-West District, he unlawfully killed Junior Moses.

The confessed killer was represented by Attorney-at-Law Jerome Khan, while Senior State Counsel Lisa Cave presented the prosecution’s case.

Reports are that on the day in question, at about 18:40h, the teenager and the man were engaged in a heated argument, during which the teenager armed himself with a knife and stabbed the man in the region of his stomach.

After committing the act, he reportedly fled the scene but was later apprehended by the Police. The injured man was rushed to the Mabaruma Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

During his sentencing hearing, Justice Morris-Ramlall sentenced the man to two years and eight months in custody while ordering that the time he spent on pre-trial be deducted.

The 22-year-old man had been on remand for approximately five years and four months. His sentence has been fully satisfied by the time he spent in pre-trial detention. He has therefore been released from custody.