Life imprisonment for youth who killed Mahaicony businesswoman

A 27-year-old fisherman was on Tuesday sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years for killing Mahaicony businesswoman, 56-year-old Bibi Nesha Shairoon known as ‘Shakeela’ during a home invasion in 2016.

Devanand Rampersaud called ‘JuJu’ of Berbice was initially charged with murder but opted to plead guilty to manslaughter before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Georgetown High Court on October 2, 2019.

Persaud admitted that between October 15 -17, 2016 at Novar Mahaicony, he unlawfully killed Shairoon.

On Tuesday, a probation report was read in court after which Rampersaud’s attorney, Keoma Griffith made a plea of mitigation.

Griffith told the court that Rampersaud is the sole breadwinner of his family and takes care of his elderly grandmother. The attorney said his client is remorseful, is still young and can be rehabilitated.

Blaming his co-accused for causing Shairoon’s death, Rampersaud had claimed that he only intended to rob the elderly woman but it was his co-accused, a 16-year-old male, who took a frying pan and bludgeoned the woman.

Prosecutor Abigail Gibbs urged the court to consider the way the elderly woman was killed.

Shairoon’s relatives, in the probation report, said they are still grieving.  Gibbs asked the court to send a strong message to the perpetrator and others who may want to commit similar offences.

Justice Kissoon considered the nature of the crime and Rampersaud’s claim that he was under the influence of cocaine when he committed the offence.

Additionally, based on the post mortem report, the woman was also sexually assaulted.

The businesswoman was discovered dead by her nephew at about 6:00hrs with her hands and feet tied along with marks of violence about her body.