Guyana’s machine operator gets 8 years imprisonment for killing his drinking friend

Guyana: A 51-year-old machine operator was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment for the offence of killing his drinking buddy in Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, Guyana. 

The incident took place on 9 February 2019, and he pleaded guilty on Monday. The accused is Deonarine Seetaram, a father of three, and the victim is Mohammed Shameem Hassan.

As per the details, both the accused and victim were drinking at Mohammed Shameem Hassan’s premises when the incident of stabbing took place. The weapon used to stab the victim by the accused was a pair of scissors.

The accused was presented before Demerara High Court Judge Priya Sewnarine–Beharry, where he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter in connection with the death of re-migrant Mohammed Shameem Hassan. 

According to the information, the Judge asked the Prison Service to deduct the accused’s pre-trial custody time from his term of imprisonment. He also asked the prison service to ensure that the accused enrols in vocational courses. 

Notably, the case of the accused, Deonarine Seetaram, was presented by Attorney Teriq Mohammed, and the matter was prosecuted by State Counsel Caressa Henry. 

It was mentioned by the officials that the accused had given a statement where he mentioned that he attacked Hassan because he had made vulgar comments about his daughter and wife. 

Various residents of the community took to their social media accounts and shared their views on the matter. One person with a Facebook account, Marie Singh, commented, “He should have been given a harsher punishment; he took a man’s life, a life that can’t be rehabilitated, a life that is gone forever.”

“These light sentences are basically telling another he can commit any crime because his sentence will be just a few mornings until he is free to continue his disgusting behaviours sadly,” wrote Karen Busby. 

Another person with a Facebook account, Shivana Singh, commented the following: “Boy, Guyana is the only country where a thief receives 16 years of imprisonment and a murderer 8 years. What a messed-up justice system.”