Judge refuses guilty plea of man accused of killing British teen
-accused says he was a victim who was high on drugs
High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon on Wednesday did not accept the guilty plea of Aaron Hing, the man accused of murdering his Godbrother British citizen, Dominic Bernard in 2015.
Hing appeared before the Berbice High Court for the capital offence of murder; he admitted that on October 14, 2015, at Kildonan Village, Corentyne, East Berbice, he murdered Bernard.
Hing told the court that just like Bernard, he was a victim of the crime. According to Hing, his co-accused Staymon George was the one who attacked and killed Bernard. Last week, George pleaded guilty to the charge and is currently on remand awaiting sentencing.
He said George killed Bernard over a broken cellphone and bludgeoned him to death with a hammer. Hing told the court that George threatened to kill his family if he went to the police.
He admitted that at the time of the offence, they were all under the influence of drugs.
Justice Kissoon entered a not guilty plea in favour of Hing and disputed the facts of the state’s case, which was presented by attorney-at-law Latchmie Rahamat, who was appointed special prosecutor in the case by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Hing is represented by attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin. A jury was empanelled to hear the case come Thursday morning.
George’s child mother Krystol Thomas, her mother Sinfine Henry, also known as “Coreen” and his friend, Jahmil Sinclair are currently awaiting trial for the offence of accessory to murder in connection with the incident.
The British teenager reportedly arrived in Guyana on the evening of October 14, 2015; he was scheduled to return to England on November 5, 2015.
Hing became a person of interest after he disappeared when the police attempted to contact him. As law-enforcement officers continued to dig for information, George was added to the list of suspects.
Police later captured them both — Hing at a city hotel and George at a house in Tucville, Georgetown. They were arrested after the decomposed body of a male, believed to be that of the missing teenager, was discovered a few villages from Kildonan – the same community where he was expected to spend his time during his visit to Guyana.
The two later admitted that they picked up the teen from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and on their way to Berbice, they stopped along Sheriff Street, where they ate and drank a few beers.
Police had discovered the teen’s camera and its components; they were dug up after a third suspect, Jahmil Sinclair, took law enforcement officers to an area behind Nurney Village and pointed out where he had hidden the equipment.
Sinclair reportedly admitted that he was promised payment to hide the teen’s belongings on the night he was fatally beaten.
A post-mortem performed on the body revealed that the British teen was struck at the back of the head; he sustained a fractured skull and a broken neck.
