Pork-knocker sentenced to 12 years for killing teen wife

Pork-knocker, Dhanraj Theopolis called ‘Abdool’ was on Friday sentenced to 12 years imprisonment fatally beating his 19-year-old reputed wife in 2018.

Theopolis, 45, formerly of Barama Line, Baramita, North West District, was sentenced by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Demerara High Court.

Last month, Theopolis was arraigned for the capital offence of murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The indictment read that on January 18, 2018, at Barama Line, he murdered Lorinda Thomas.

In imposing her sentence, the judge ordered that Theopolis be enrolled in vocational training, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and family reconciliation programmes while behind bars.

Taking into consideration Theopolis’ time spent on remand and a one-third deduction for his early guilty plea, the judge arrived at a 12-year sentence.

She also ordered that the prison authorities deduct the time spent on remand from his sentence.

According to reports, Thomas, a mother of one, died after she endured a severe beating at the hands of the suspect.

Reports indicate that the woman went to visit relatives and on her way home some four hours later, she was accosted by the man while walking in Barama Line and an argument ensued.

The court heard that in the heat of the moment, the man pushed Thomas to the ground and began kicking and stomping her in the abdomen, causing her to lose consciousness.

He then left her lying there. When the young woman regained consciousness, she made her way home in spite feeling a severe pain in the region of her abdomen. It was reported that the following day, the pain increased to the point where the woman could barely stand.

She decided to go to the health centre where she was admitted for observation, but succumbed as she was about to be air-dashed to the city for further treatment.