A 15-year sentence for a Corriverton man who killed the farmer

Killed: Henry Lalman.

Sentenced: Asif Hamid.
Kaieteur News – A 27-year-old man, who has been on remand for the past five years for the murder of a cattle farmer in August 2015, was yesterday sentenced to 15 years in prison. Asif Hamid, formerly of Princetown, Corriverton, Upper Berbice, who recently pleaded guilty, made an appearance through Zoom yesterday and was sentenced by sitting Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall in Berbice High Court. Hamid was charged with murdering Henry Lalman, 78, a rice and cattle farmer at No. 55 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.
A probation report submitted to the court by the Probation Officer, Ms. Gordon, advised that the accused attended Corriverton Primary School and subsequently went to the Islamic school and Skeldon Line Trail High School. After writing his CSEC exams, his father entrusted him with a butchery business. Hamid lived in Corriverton with his father, and at the time of the murder was 22 years old. The report mentioned that his relatives had been interviewed and that there were mixed reviews, with some relatives stating that he was quiet and reserved and others indicating that he was interested in gambling. The report noted Hamid’s detailed comments that he was traumatized and sorry for what had happened. The report also noted that the residents of No. 56 Village described the deceased as a Philanthropist and a quiet and straightforward businessman.
The prosecutor, attorney-at-law Tuana Hardy, who represented the State, reflected on the nature and extent of the crime and noted that Lalman’s death was a breach of trust. The same sentiment was echoed by the deceased’s granddaughter, Briana Lalman. Briana Lalman had a chance to say a few words before the sentence was handed down. He told the court that “life had taken him … he was a good man and he had no trouble with anyone. In order for him to trust the accused, he would have expected when he got the money that this would not have happened to him. We ask the court to give a fair sentence, five years is not enough … ”The judge then asked the woman how she felt now that the accused had accepted responsibility for taking her life grandfather and he responded, “I feel mixed about it because there is nothing he can do to go back to what he did. I found that he admitted his fault and what he did was wrong but there’s no getting him back. ”
Justice Morris-Ramlall said that before sentencing, she considered the nature and seriousness of the offense and the fact that the deceased had a degree of trust in the accused where he would regularly credit him. . Justice Ramlall said that trust was betrayed when the accused choked the deceased. He also noted that the court should consider that no weapon was used “but someone should appreciate that the hands in this case are as effective as any weapon.”
She said she also considered that the “sniping out of the life of an elderly friend was just over a few dollars” and also that the accused did not place any value on the life and dignity of the deceased “based on how he removed the body ”. She also considered the statement given by the granddaughter. “I think a 30-year prison term is appropriate,” said Justice Ramlall.
Because Hamid pleaded guilty, 10 years were withdrawn, and a further five years removed from the time already spent in prison, leading to the 15-year sentence.
Lalman’s decomposing body was found by police in Hamid’s yard days after he went missing. He was buried in a shallow grave under a tree in the backyard.
The pathologist, Dr. Vivekanand Bridgmohan, said the victim had been choked after noticing that the hyoid bone had broken. Lalman disappeared after visiting some of his customers to collect money owed to him, including a sum of $ 220,000 for three cows he sold to Hamid. Relatives made a report at police station No. 51 and the police had a breakthrough in receiving information that Lalman had been seen visiting the butcher’s premises. He was not seen leaving.
Police, acting on this information, searched the suspect’s yard and eventually found the lost man’s body buried in the shallow grave. Hamid was also slapped with an accessory after the accusation of the disappearance and death of his own father Saeed Hamid.