Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire sentenced a Lusignan man to ten years imprisonment on Tuesday for killing his wife then reporting that bandits had broken into their home and murdered her.
Roopnarine Singh who shot his wife, Rajdai Sookraj in the face at their East Coast Demerara home on March 31, 2005 following a misunderstanding was charged with murder but he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when his case was called in the High Court.
His sentencing was deferred to Tuesday after the defence requested a probation report. On Tuesday the report, which was read in court, revealed that Singh, 63, and his wife often quarrelled. It also said that he had been a licensed firearm holder for over two decades. His character was said to be good though he had threatened a few persons in the area in the past.
Singh and his wife were said to have been alcoholics and on the day she was murdered he admitted that they both had a drink. In a caution statement he gave to police and which was read in court on Tuesday by state counsel, Ganesh Hira who was prosecuting the case, Singh said his wife went home around 3:30 pm after visiting a relative in Buxton and was packing to go back out.
He objected to her leaving and a quarrel ensued but it later died down. It was at this stage that she decided to have a drink. Singh said he went out and bought a ‘quarter’ and returned home to have a drink. He recalled quarreling with his wife about her leaving. He then armed himself with his shotgun and shot her in the face. One side of her face was said to have been blown off. Singh recalled that he stood over her and discharged four more rounds but only two hit her in the back.
After killing his wife, he had a drink and then went to bed. The following day when neighbours asked for Sookraj, Singh told them she was killed by bandits.
Police later arrested and charged him with murder. On Tuesday, defence counsel Peter Hugh told the court that his client is currently taking English, Mathematics, Spanish and Social Studies courses in jail. He said Singh had been imprisoned for some three years now and that he has begun the process of rehabilitation.
The judge took several factors into consideration before passing judgment, among them was the years Singh had spent in prison. She however noted that if his wife wanted to leave that day he should not have stopped her, pointing out that he went as far as to kill her. Singh and Sookraj lived together for two years prior to the shooting.
