Man gets 15 years for attempted murder of ex lover

Chandrashekhar  Itwaru,  43, slashed the belly of      ex lover  Jasmattie Isaacs,  after he was thrown out of his mother in law’s house , at Ankerville, Port Mourant , Corentyne, after complaints  of abuse were highlighted.

As a result of his action, Justice Jo Ann Barlow yesterday imposed her maiden sentence of 15 years at the Berbice Assizes where she is presiding for the first time.

Moments earlier, the jury  had returned a unanimous  verdict of guilty  of attempted murder. There was an alternative indictment of wounding with intent   but the mixed panel chose the first count, which stated that on November 16, 2013 he wounded Jasmattie Isaacs called Rohnie with intent to murder her.

Chandrashekhar  Itwaru
Chandrashekhar  Itwaru

State Counsel Stacy Goodings in presenting the facts, through four witnesses, revealed  that during 2013, Itwaru, along with the victim and her two children, were living together at Isaacs mother’s home   at Lot 208  Ankerville, Port Mourant.   The couple had an on-and-off relationship which spanned nine years. However during that period he did not father her children.

On November 16, 2013, at approximately  0700hrs, the victim was bathing, adjacent to her mother’s bathroom in the backyard, when Itwaru suddenly appeared.

He stood next to her, and was armed with a lance, and a knife. He placed the knife to her throat  and began slashing her belly with the lance. Injuries were also inflicted on  her left hand, the right side of her head,  and the right side of her breast.

Whilst inflicting the injuries, the victim was told she would be killed, even as blood flowed from the freshly incised wounds, resulting in her losing consciousness.

She was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital, before being transpor-ted  to the New Amsterdam Hospital, before being  transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Vijwattie Isaacs known as Leela, mother of the victim, in her evidence  had related, that she had put Itwaru out of her home weeks before because he was ill-treating her daughter and his stepchildren.

When the incident occurred, she had been in her front yard  picking flowers to use in her prayers when she heard  her grandchildren hollering for her to come and see what was happening.

She kicked off her slippers  and ran to the backyard  which is about  thirty feet away, and there, she saw , ‘this boy bore the gyal and I holler’.

The witness said, the man in the dock, had two things in his hands, a knife and a lance. She was six feet away from him, as he inflicted the injuries.  She pelted the accused  and began shouting for people, but by the time they got there Itwaru ran and bore a hole in the fence from where he escaped.

Meanwhile, prior to imposing  the sentence,   Itwaru  said he had nothing to say, after he was questioned by the judge.

Thereafter, the judge , directing her comments to the man in the dock said,  it was brought to her attention, that  on November 6, 2013,   ten days before the  incident, he  had  assaulted the same victim, and  caused bodily harm,  which resulted  in him being sentenced to  four  months imprisonment on  October 27, 2014 .

“You were not satisfied. You returned on the 16 November, and attacked her again, resulting in this matter.

What you did was wrong.  Society frowns on such  behaviour. The Court is one of the voices  which speaks  for the society. The Court cannot condone with such vicious, malicious and unnecessary  action. If  the relationship has ended, be it man or woman , we must be prepared to go our  separate ways”, she posited.

“You are sentenced to fifteen years. Whatever period you  spent  in custody awaiting trial, that will be deducted “, she said.

Itwaru was unrepresented.