14 months jail for Kitty businessman who brutalised daughter

A Kitty businessman, who was last year caught on camera brutally assaulting his 25-year-old daughter, was on Thursday sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for the crime.

Devanand Singh, the owner of Brands2Go, had the custodial sentence imposed on him by Magistrate Rhondel Weever at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Last month, he was found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm and using threatening language toward her.

On Thursday, he was sentenced to 14 months in jail for the assault charge and four months on the latter charge. The sentencing will run concurrently, which means Singh will only serve 14 months behind bars.

Prior to being sentenced, Singh’s probation report was presented to the court; the probation officer informed the court that the man was verbally and physically abused by his father, who was an alcoholic.

Meanwhile, the victim was also interviewed by the probation officer and she reportedly said that the incident has driven a wedge between the family and has affected the relationship she shared with her siblings.

The young lady further noted that she had a loving relationship with her father until she turned 16.

Singh’s attorney, Nigel Hughes asked the court to consider that the victim’s injuries were not grievous.  However, he said Singh is remorseful for his actions.

Among other things, Hughes said the video of the incident, which was widely circulated on social media, has caused Singh embarrassment and negatively affected his business.

In his plea of mitigation, the attorney disclosed that the businessman had opted to pay the victim $2M as compensation, but she refused.

The State Prosecutor asked the court to send a strong message given the prevalence of domestic violence in society.

Attorney Latchmie Rahamat represented the victim’s interest in the case; she currently has a lifetime protection order from the court against her father.

In 2022, the victim revealed that she was abused by her father for years.

The assault occurred on March 25, 2022 and the victim reported the matter to the Kitty Police Station on March 28, 2022, but the businessman was only arrested on March 31.