‘Jango’ sentenced to life in prison for 2014 Boxing Day stabbing

December 18 2024 – Thirty-three-year-old Ganesh Dhanraj, also known as “Jango,” has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal Boxing Day stabbing of Clinton Babooram in 2014.

The sentence was handed down by Justice Navindra Singh on Monday at the High Court in Demerara.

Starting with a baseline sentence of 30 years, the court imposed an additional four years due to Dhanraj’s attempt to mislead the court with a false defence.

An extra five years were added to account for what Justice Singh described as Dhanraj’s “senseless, unprovoked, and cruel act.”

Dhanraj will only become eligible for parole after serving 39 years of his sentence.

In addition to the life imprisonment, Dhanraj, who hails from Montrose, East Coast Demerara, was ordered to be flogged with four strokes of the whip.

The incident occurred on December 26, 2014 at Montrose, when Babooram was standing outside a rum shop near his home. According to the prosecution, Dhanraj ran towards Babooram with a knife, stabbing him in the groin before fleeing the scene.

Babooram’s injuries were life-threatening, and he was rushed to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, where doctors struggled to secure enough blood for a transfusion.

He was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where emergency surgery was performed. Babooram remained hospitalized for three weeks before recovering from his injuries.

At the time of the crime, Babooram, who was 20, and Dhanraj were acquainted and lived in the same village.

Initially charged with attempted murder, Dhanraj was ultimately convicted by a jury of the
lesser offence of felonious wounding.

The trial was prosecuted by attorneys-at-law Muntaz Ali and Christopher Belfield, while defence
attorney Adrian Thompson represented Dhanraj.

During sentencing, Justice Singh underscored the unprovoked nature of the attack and the severe impact it had on Babooram. He also criticized Dhanraj’s false defence, stating that it showed a lack of remorse and accountability for his actions.