Accused in Mahaica farmer’s murder remanded to prison

An excavator operator has been remanded to prison after being charged with the murder of Hardat Kissoon, who was shot once to his chest and robbed of a bag containing money on June 1 while he was in a minibus heading home.

Sherwin Trotman, 32, of Lot 45 Section D, South Turkeyen, was not required to plead to the capital charge when he appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court 2. It is alleged on June 1, while in company of others at UG Road, Trotman murdered Hardat Kissoon, pursuant to a robbery.

Hardat Kissoon
Hardat Kissoon

Trotman was charged with a series of other offences prior to this, the most recent being escaping from lawful custody while being a remanded prisoner on a sexual offence charge. Early last year, he was convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment for escaping from lawful custody. He was also committed to stand trial at the High Court over the sexual offence.

Kissoon, called `Buju’ of Cane Grove, Mahaica died instantly on June 1 after being shot once in the chest by a gunman who escaped on a motorcycle which was parked on the University of Guyana access road. At the time of the incident, he was returning from a city bank where he had changed a cheque for over half a million dollars.

The cash was snatched and he was shot. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

No details of the murder were presented in court.

However, Trotman stood in the prisoners’ dock and asked the court for the permission to speak which was granted.

He said, “My Worship in this matter there was no ID parade and I didn’t give no statement to the police. They just arrest me and show me a video with two individuals on a motorcycle and they say I was the rider and they couldn’t identify the other person because the video was dull.”

The defendant further told the court that he was saying this because he wanted the public and the media to know that he didn’t commit the crime he was being charged with. He added, “They say if I don’t tell them who is the shooter they will have to put me as the rider. A police officer then tell me if I give him $2 million I will get loose but I tell he I ain’t got no $2 million.”

Trotman was unrepresented by counsel while Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones indicated to the court that the incident was caught on surveillance camera, which led to Trotman’s identification.

The matter was transferred to the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court for July 8.