Being dissatisfied with the decision of the High Court in Demerara, Kenkassie Lynch, the man jailed a week ago for fatally shooting a Mocha mechanic, has filed an appeal against his murder conviction and 75 years’ sentence.
The sentence was imposed on him by Justice Navindra Singh on May 30, 2019 when a 12-person jury found him guilty of the June 1, 2015 murder of 23-year-old Mocha East Bank Demerara mechanic Terrence Lanferman.
In the Notice of Appeal filed on Monday, June 3, Lynch through his lawyer Adrian Thompson is arguing that Justice Singh erred in law when he admitted into evidence the caution statement purportedly given by him.
The lawyer further argues that the judge failed to adequately put his client’s defence to the jury. The lawyer indicated that further grounds of appeal will be added when the record of the trial becomes available.
According to reports, Lanferman resided at Mocha, East Bank Demerara and, on the day in question, Lynch, who was armed with a gun, knocked at his door and shot him. It was reported that Lanferman received gunshot wounds to the neck and chest and was pronounced dead on arrival at Diamond Diagnostic Centre.
Lynch had initially pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. In leading his defence he opted to give an unsworn testimony.
From the prisoner’s dock, he had told the jury, “I am innocent of this crime. I didn’t give Mr [Police Inspector Prem] Narine no statement. I could not read and write. They [the police] didn’t caution me and tell me anything about my rights. I didn’t get no call to my family.”
Inspector Narine was one of the witnesses who testified against Lynch. The case for the state was presented by Prosecutors Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs, and Teriq Mohamed.
