A 32-year-old Corriverton man was on Wednesday sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison for wounding his paternal uncle, who is also his stepfather.
Mulshankar Sukharam of Number 79 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, appeared before Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty in the Berbice High Court.
He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but not guilty to attempted murder.
According to State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards, the incident occurred on July 16, 2021, at around 8:00 am.
The court heard that Sukharam confronted 58-year-old Yughanray Suknaram at their home, verbally abused him and threatened to kill him before throwing glass bottles in his direction, causing injuries.
Sukharam later armed himself with broken bottles and attacked Suknaram again as the older man was heading to the Springlands Police Station. Suknaram was stabbed multiple times and chased into a neighbour’s yard.
He sustained two stab wounds to his abdomen and was initially treated at the Skeldon Public Hospital before being transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.
After recovering, Suknaram made an official report to the police.
Sukharam was arrested on April 8, 2022. During investigations, he claimed that the victim had previously tormented him and thrown bottles at him.
In a victim impact statement, Suknaram said he continues to suffer from shortness of breath and constant pain, which affects his ability to work and earn an income.
In sentencing, Justice Kumar-Chetty considered that Sukharam accepted responsibility by pleading guilty and was described as a generally good individual, but one whose behaviour becomes disorderly when consuming alcohol.
The judge also noted the psychological impact on the victim, including threats allegedly sent by the accused.
Sukharam was initially sentenced to 25 years, but deductions were made, including for his guilty plea, resulting in a final sentence of 15 years and six months.
The court ordered that time spent on remand be deducted from the sentence.
Additionally, Sukharam is required to complete both an alcohol rehabilitation programme and an anger management programme while incarcerated.
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