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…as PI into murder of the Henry boys set to start on March 16
By Clifford Stanley
Police said on Tuesday that they will be calling a total of twenty seven witnesses in a preliminary hearing to confirm that there is sufficient evidence to require the three men accused of the murder of the Henry cousins to stand trial in the High Court for the capital offence.
This disclosure was made at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court by Police Prosecutor Inspector Phillip Sheriff who disclosed as well that the statements of these witnesses had been handed over to the lawyers representing two of the accused as well as to the third accused who is charged separately and who is unrepresented.
Sheriff confirmed that there will be two separate Preliminary Inquiries one into the charge against two of the three accused men and one against the other charged separately.
The police said they are ready to commence on March 16th next.
Magistrate Peter Hugh after hearing these disclosures fixed that date for the beginning of the two PIs.
Three men namely 20-year-old Akash Singh, called “Monkey,” of Zeelugt Squatting Area, East Bank Essequibo (EBE); his stepbrother, 34-year-old Anil Sancharra, called “Dan pole” and “Rasta,” of D’ Edward Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB); and 30-year-old Vinod Gopaul, called “Magga,” of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, are facing the charge
The Police charged Sancharra and Gopaul jointly and Singh separately.
Akash Singh had reportedly confessed to being a perpetrator in the killings and allegedly implicated the other two accused men in a confession statement.
The three murder accused are being held in separate prisons.
During the hearing earlier today Magistrate Peter Hugh made contact with the three accused by Whatsapp and informed them of these developments.
One of the accused Sanchara complained that although he had heard that he was being represented by a Lawyer he had not been contacted by any Attorney.
Attorney at Law Dexter Todd who was in Court and who had two weeks ago disclosed that himself and Attorneys Dexter Smartt and Shareefa Parks will be representing Sanchara and Gopaul told Magistrate Hugh that he will be making contact with the two accused men after he had examined all the statements provided by the Prosecution.
He said that he and his colleagues will make a determination on which witnesses they will need to cross examine after a close examination of these statements provided by the Prosecution.
All the hearings at the Blairmont Magistrate Court on the matter to date have been done remotely via Whatsapp.
The badly mutilated bodies of Isaiah Henry, 16, and Joel Henry, 19 both of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB)were found dumped in a clump of bushes in the backlands of Cotton Tree Village on Sunday afternoon September 6th 2020 after they failed to return home from a trip into the forested area the day before.
Both bodies bore several ‘chop wounds’. Isaiah had the letter ‘X’ carved on the back of his head and forehead, while Joel’s chest was cut open, exposing his organs.
The horrific manner in which the teenagers were killed sparked outrage in the villages and many residents took their protest to the main roadway collecting debris and setting them alight on the roadway.
Three days later 17 year old Haresh Singh, of Number Three Village, a relative of one of the persons who was being investigated in connection with the Henry killings was found murdered in the Number Two Village backdam, a village near to where the bodies of the Henry boys were found.
Singh it was said had gone into the backlands on an errand to transport water for a relative working on a farm. His motorcycle was also torched.
While police have charged three men for the murders of the Henry boys, no one has to date been charged with the murder of Haresh Singh.
Last week the leader of the political Opposition Mr Joseph Harmon disclosed that he had been assured by the Commissioner of Police that the murder of Haresh Singh was still under investigation and a conviction was forthcoming. (END).
