A Corentyne, Berbice man, who was sentenced to death in January 2011 by Justice Dawn Gregory-Barnes, was on Monday sentenced to a reduced term – 26 years in prison.
The new sentence was handed down at the Berbice Assizes by Justice Joann Barlow.
Gowkarran Ramdayal, called “Silence”, 25, of Queenstown, Corriverton, had received the death sentence after he was found guilty for the 2008 murder of his father. In July last, the Court of Appeal handed down a decision overturning the conviction and sentence of Ramdayal.
On Monday, Ramdayal pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and was given the 26-year sentence. Ramdayal, who lived with his father, mother and younger brother admitted to killing his father, 51-year-old Bhowan Ramdayal.
The facts of the case stated that the senior Ramdayal was allegedly beaten about his body with an iron bar at the home the family shared after a misunderstanding between the two men.
Gowkarran Ramdayal had allegedly asked his father for G$100, which the senior Ramdayal had refused to give him, telling his son that he should seek a job.
An argument then developed during which the accused picked up an iron bar and beat his father. He then picked up a piece of pipe and continued the beating, before walking out of the yard with the pipe in hand.
The injured man was picked up and rushed to the Skeldon Hospital, thence onto the New Amsterdam Hospital before being transferred to the country’s main medical institution in the city – The Georgetown Public Hospital.
He was discharged from hospital a month later and stayed at his niece’s home for a while before returning to the Skeldon Hospital, after suffering a relapse.
He subsequently succumbed.
In handing down the sentence, Justice Barlow told Ramdayal that he must work if he wants money. “You killed an adult, who was your father when he told you to go and get a job,” Justice Barlow said in court before handing down her sentence.
Justice Barlow deducted one year off his sentence based on an early mitigation plea. A further 10 years was deducted for the period that he had already spent in prison before Monday’s sentencing.
