Attempted murder accused freed

The man accused of attempting to murder a Corentyne resident outside a wedding house in 2018 was on Tuesday set free after a Berbice High Court jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty.

Vishal Jeenarine, called “Boyo”, who had been on trial for the attempted murder of Derrick Drapaul, was freed following the verdict, bringing to an end a case that had its origins nearly seven years ago.

The incident occurred on May 5, 2018, outside a wedding house at Bush Lot Village, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Justice Deborah Kumar-Chatty presided over the trial, which was heard by a mixed jury. Attorney-at-law Marisa Edwards appeared for the State, while Attorney-at-law Charlene Ortega represented the accused.

In her summation, Justice Kumar-Chatty reminded jurors that the burden of proof rested entirely on the prosecution and that the accused was under no obligation to prove his innocence. She directed the jury that if they were left in any reasonable doubt as to whether Jeenarine inflicted the injuries complained of, that doubt must be resolved in his favour.

As part of the defence case, Jeenarine elected to give sworn evidence.

He told the court that he did not strike Drapaul and denied using any piece of wood or brick during the incident. Jeenarine maintained that he had never had any prior issues with the virtual complainant and said he did not inflict the injuries that later resulted in Drapaul being hospitalised.

Jeenarine said that he was present in the area on the night in question but was suddenly struck from behind and was shocked by the incident. He denied suggestions put to him by the prosecution that he fabricated his account and consistently rejected claims that he was the person who lashed Drapaul about the head.

Jeenarine further told the court that his sister later came for him and advised him to leave the area, after which he went home.

The defence also called Jeenarine’s sister, Genita Jeenarine, who gave evidence in support of her brother.

She testified that she was at the wedding on the night in question and was in her brother’s company. According to her evidence, she observed Drapaul in pain and intervened during an altercation involving her brother. She said she assisted her brother in leaving the area and later accompanied him home.

Under cross-examination, Genita Jeenarine accepted that she had been walking ahead of her brother and did not witness everything that occurred before she returned to the scene. However, she maintained that her account before the High Court was consistent with the evidence she had previously given at the Magistrate’s Court.

In her directions, Justice Kumar-Chatty also drew the jury’s attention to inconsistencies and variations in the prosecution’s case, including differing descriptions of where exactly the incident occurred, the number of persons present, lighting conditions, and how the injuries were inflicted. She reminded jurors that while some inconsistencies may arise naturally, it was for them to assess whether those differences affected the reliability of the evidence as a whole.

The jury retired to consider its verdict and later returned with a unanimous decision, acquitting Jeenarine of the charge.

Following the verdict, Jeenarine was formally discharged by the court.

The case marked the final matter for the October Criminal Assizes in Berbice. The February Assizes are expected to commence on February 3 and will run until June.