Magistrate Yohannseh Cave on Wednesday set next Monday for the commencement of the preliminary inquiry into the manslaughter case against Ronny Totaram, whose dogs allegedly mauled a security guard to death at Ogle in April.
The pilot and Ogle resident made his second appearance at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
A pack of dogs attacked COPS security guard Charles Roopchand around 6 am on April 16 as he made his way to his work at a Cell Link site in the Ogle area. After dragging him across a roadside trench and ripping his throat and face apart, two of the animals then turned on Desire London, who was on her regular morning walk. The woman was treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital and discharged.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Roopchand died from asphyxiation and multiple wounds due to dog bites.
Totaram was arrested by police shortly after the attack and nine dogs captured by members of the police canine division were also taken into custody. Following the attack many had labeled the vicious dogs, pit bulls, but Totaram’s relatives and several dog experts refuted that saying the animals were of mixed breed. They said that no pit bull was among those that carried out the early morning attack. The dogs are still at the canine division and their fate remains uncertain.
Three days after the incident Totaram was released on $100,000 station bail after the police were advised by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that more statements were needed to complete the file before charges were laid.
Close to a week later, he appeared before Magistrate Cave on a manslaughter charge. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was released on $100,000 bail following submissions by his lawyer Khemraj Ramjattan.
