CoA to decide Bartica massacre cases in March

February 24 2026

The Court of Appeal has reserved its judgment in the long-running appeals arising from the 2008 Bartica massacre and is expected to deliver its decision on March 11, 2026.

Confirmation came from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chambers after submissions in the matters were concluded before the appellate judges.

The appeals were brought by four men convicted for their roles in the deadly Bartica attack — Mark Royden Williams, Dennis Williams, Clebert Reece, and Michael Caesar.

All four had sought to have their convictions overturned in relation to the killing of 12 people during the incident.

Mark Royden Williams and Dennis Williams, who were sentenced to death on multiple counts of murder and manslaughter, have since died in 2023 and July 2024 respectively.

Despite their deaths, applications challenging their convictions remain before the court.

However, the DPP Chambers reported that Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Diana O’Brien objected to the continuation of those appeals.

She contended that under the Court of Appeal Act, the right to appeal is statutory and does not survive the death of an appellant.

Prosecutor O’Brien further argued that allowing the matters to proceed would constitute an inefficient use of judicial time and state resources, relying on previous judicial rulings to support her position.

The remaining appellants, Clebert Reece and Michael Caesar, both pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Clebert Reece was sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment.

Michael Caesar is serving prison terms of 45 years and 60 years to run concurrently after pleading guilty to 20 manslaughter charges connected to the Lusignan and Bartica massacres in early 2008.

Both men are now seeking a review of their sentences.

The appeals stem from the violent events of February 17, 2008, when a group of armed men carried out a coordinated attack on the mining town of Bartica.

Investigations established that about 20 gunmen arrived by speedboat at the Transport and Harbours wharf around 10:00 p.m.

Their first stop was the Bartica Police Station, where Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir, Constable Shane Fredericks, and Constable Ron Osbornes were killed.

The attackers then seized cash, weapons, ammunition, and a police vehicle, which they used to travel through the town firing on civilians. Irwin Gilkes was fatally shot during that phase of the attack.

The gunmen later stormed CBR Mining, where Irving Ferreira was killed and two safes containing cash and gold were taken along with additional weapons and ammunition.

Before fleeing Bartica by boat, the group shot and killed Dexter Adrian and returned to the wharf area, where Abdool Yassin Jr, Deonarine Singh, Errol Thomas, Ronald Gomes, Baldeo Singh, and Ashraf Khan were executed.

The assault lasted about one hour and left twelve people dead, including three police officers, marking one of the most devastating episodes in Bartica’s history.