By Clifford Stanley
Four men appeared in the Fort Wellington Magistrate Court in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) Friday morning charged with the murder of Bath Settlement West Coast Berbice businessman Mohamed Raymond Haniff.
The charge laid by Police Sergeant Da Silva of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and read out by Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh alleged that Sarjoo Matadin aged 56 years, Royston Dowding 29, Devon McAlmont 50 and Ivan Lindo 20 murdered Haniff at Bath Settlement on the night of September 12 last.
Matadin, Dowding and Lindo gave home addresses at Bath Settlement while McAlmont said he was a resident of # 22 Village WCB about three miles east of that village.
Matadin said he was a cash crop farmer while the others said they were rice field laborers.
During their appearance in Court Counsel for Matadin Mr. Bernard DaSilva alleged that his client had been beaten by Police during their investigations and he asked for the Magistrate to order that Matadin be given medical treatment.
The Magistrate acquiesced.
Magistrate Singh then remanded the four men to custody until October 2nd as the date for further hearing of the capital charge
The businessman was at home on the night of September 12th when assailants armed with knives and cutlasses invaded the premises and demanded that he handed over cash and jewellery.
He refused and was dealt several blows and chops about the body by the bandits who then fled the scene reportedly empty handed.
The victim was picked up by a neighbour and rushed to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital, and later transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he was admitted in a serious condition and subsequently died at about four hours later .
