A 21-year-old man will be spending the next 25 years in jail for beating the uncle of his girlfriend to death with a cricket bat. Justice Navindra Singh imposed the custodial sentence this morning at the High Court in Demerara.
Three weeks ago, Jonathan Budhan, who was initially indicted for murder, was convicted of manslaughter by a 12-person jury.
On October 26, 2016, Budhan, formerly of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, unlawfully killed 40-year-old Ramesh Manbodh who was the uncle of the teenage girl he had been in a relationship with.
Reports indicate that Budhan beat Manbodh with a cricket bat. The injured man was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed days later.
Following the presentation of a probation report this morning, Budhan was inconsolable as he expressed how sorry he was.
Like his lawyer Nigel Hughes, the young man begged the court to have mercy on him.
Trial Judge Navindra Singh, however, indicated that he initially wanted to sentence Budhan to life imprisonment since from the evidence it was clear that Budhan planned the killing.
Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs, Tuanna Hardy, and Teriq Mohamed presented the case for the State.
