After six years on remand for murder, man released from prison

After spending over the last six years on remand for the 2015 fatal shooting of 48-year-old businessman Ganesh Ramlall called ‘Boyo,’ confessed killer Fazeel Bacchus was on Tuesday released from prison.

Bacchus, who is now a state witness in an ongoing murder trial, was on Monday sentenced to six and a half years by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Georgetown High Court for the murder of Bacchus.

Justice Morris-Ramlall started her sentencing at a base of 18 years and deducted time that Bacchus spent on remand in addition to reducing his sentence as a result of his early guilty plea.

And as a result of this, Bacchus, who was on remand since 2015, was released from prison on Tuesday, having served his time.

On February 21, Bacchus was arraigned for the capital offence of murder but opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The charge stated that on July 5, 2015, he unlawfully killed the proprietor of Regent Multiplex Mall during the course of a robbery at his La Jalousie West Coast Demerara house.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, had granted a fiat to attorneys-at-law Konyo Sandiford and Narissa Leander to prosecute the case on behalf of the State. Bacchus was represented by Mark Conway.

According to reports, at about 00:10 hrs on July 5, 2015, the businessman had just returned home and was about to use the outside bathroom when he was confronted by four men.

He was shot several times about his body by the armed men, who took away his licensed firearm, jewellery and a wallet and then escaped.

Ramlall was later pronounced dead at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

On July 14, 2015, Bacchus, was arrested by police and admitted that he was the getaway driver.