Fazil Osman of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD), the man who, on February 24, 2019, had mercilessly chopped his reputed wife after finding out that she had had an abortion, will be spending the next 10 years in jail.
The 44-year-old Osman, a father of six and a farmer by profession, had last month appeared before Demerara High Court Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge, wherein he admitted that, on February 24, 2019, he had unlawfully and maliciously wounded the 24-year-old woman at Hand-en-Veldt, Mahaica with intent to commit murder.
This mother of two was attacked and chopped after she had made a report at the Mahaica Police Station that Osman had beaten her.
Based on what had been reported, the abused woman had been instructed by the investigating rank to return home to Osman, who had accused her of stealing his money when she had gone to their home to uplift her clothing.
On the day in question, she had gone back home in the company of a Rural Constable to identify Osman, in order that he be served with a restraining order. Osman had used that opportunity to attack his reputed wife, chopping her with a cutlass and causing the Rural Constable to flee for her safety. Osman and his reputed wife had been living together for six months.
During Osman’s sentencing hearing on Thursday, he begged his former partner and her family to forgive him for the brutal assault he had launched on her. “I am very sorry for what happened,” a remorseful Osman said.
Osman had told a probation officer that he had not chopped his partner because she had stolen his money, but rather because she had aborted a pregnancy without informing him.
Justice Barlow, in her sentencing, told Osman that he had not only disrespected his reputed wife, but also the Special Constable who had accompanied her to serve him with the legal document.
According to the Judge, the information provided to the court shows that Osman has had a history of violent behaviour towards his previous partners. Justice Barlow disclosed that Osman’s reputed wife suffers from visual impairment due to the chops she had sustained to her head and face.
After considering the aggravating and mitigating factors, Justice Barlow commenced Osman’s sentence at a base of 18 years.
One-third of same (six years) was deducted for his early guilty plea, and from the resulting 12 years, two years were deducted for time the convict had spent in pre-trial detention, bringing his final jail sentence to 10 years.
The Court has also ordered that Osman be exposed to counselling/training sessions for persons convicted of violent offences stemming from domestic violence.
State Counsel Latifah Elliot was the prosecutor. Osman was represented by lawyer Teriq Mohammed.
