Cane harvester Kemal Singh, 24, of 247 Clifton Settlement, Corentyne, who was initially charged with the murder of his wife’s uncle, pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and was sentenced by Justice Winston Patterson at the Berbice Assizes to 15 years imprisonment.

Deonarine Mingo

Representing the accused, Senior Counsel Marcel Crawford told the court that Singh had been playing a game of cricket in the street at Tain, Port Mourant, when he received a telephone message.

He then went home where he saw someone in his hammock under the house. That person was subsequently identified as Deonarine Mingo, his wife’s uncle.

But receiving no response to his enquiries from the person in the hammock, Singh moved to an earthen fireside some feet away where he pulled a cutlass and dealt several chops about the person’s body. While he was doing so the person yelled, “It’s me Monster”.

“Had the person in the hammock announced his name this would not have been the situation,” the lawyer reasoned.

“It was after the act that my client knew that the injured man was his wife’s uncle. In an act of compassion the wounded man was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital before being transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he died.

“Your Honour, my client is 24 years old, a cane harvester, a married husband of one child. This is his first appearance before the court of law. Let the hammer of justice fall leniently as the incident is an unfortunate one,” Crawford urged.

The defence counsel asked Justice Patterson to take a judicial notice of what goes on in Guyana  as the now deceased was in a hammock beneath an unlit house, which caused the accused to believe that he was a burglar about to commit a crime.

But Justice Patterson expressed concern over the many injuries inflicted which were obviously after Mingo, the now deceased man had identified himself as ‘Monster’.

However the judge des-cribed the act as hideous and questioned whether someone had gone to attack the homeowners, if the prisoner would have been given a chance to arm himself.

There were eight injuries on the body of the deceased. The accused had no problem with his wife’s uncle yet he inflicted multiple injuries on various parts of the body.

“The gravity of the injuries leaves too much to be desired – you are sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Make the best use of it,” urged the judge.