TEEN ON TRIAL FOR MURDER OF MAHAICONY BUSINESSWOMAN

A 19-year-old man is presently on trial before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-person jury for the October 2016 murder of Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara businesswoman, Bib Ali.

For legal purposes, the name of the murder accused cannot be published since he was charged for the crime when he was only 15.

The teenager, who is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard DaSilva, has pleaded not guilty to the charge. State Counsel Tuanna Hardy is for the Prosecution.

According to reports, Ali, who operated a grocery shop from her Novar, Mahaicony home, was found lying face down in her home with her hands bound and mouth gagged. Her body was swollen and in a state of decomposition.

Her house was also ransacked which led police to believe that the woman was robbed. A post mortem report revealed that the 56-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted.

Another man, Davanand Rampersaud was also charged with Ali’s murder. Last year in October, he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon and pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 25 years behind bars. In sentencing the confessed killer, Justice Kissoon underscored the prevalence of such offences and the need to impose sentences that would serve as a deterrent.