Parika fisherman jailed for 13 years after wounding conviction

A 26-year-old fisherman has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, minus time served, for the crime
of wounding with intent, after brutally stabbing a man in 2015.

The felon, Shawn Williams, a resident of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was initially charged with
attempted murder committed on Fizul Mohamed, 39. However, in March, a jury at the Demerara
High Court unanimously convicted him of the lesser offence.

Trial Judge Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, after handing down the custodial sentence on Friday, instructed the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) to ensure that Williams is enrolled in behaviour modification, anger management, and vocational classes to aid in his rehabilitation.

Williams was represented by defence attorney Kezia Williams, while State Counsel Caressa Henry and State Counsel Padma Dubraj appeared for the prosecution.

According to the prosecution’s facts, on January 31, 2015, Mohamed was at a shop in Parika Facade, drinking, when his friend, John and Williams got into a heated argument over gambling.

Williams then whipped out a knife and threatened John. When Mohamed intervened and asked Williams why he acted that way, Williams stabbed him in the abdomen before escaping on a bicycle.

Mohamed was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital by car and later transferred via ambulance to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he remained hospitalised for 10 days.

Doctors deemed Mohamed’s injuries life-threatening, and after his discharge, he was unable to work for almost a year. Williams was subsequently arrested and charged.

At the time of the incident, Mohamed was the sole breadwinner of his family.