Domestic Dispute Turns Deadly: Berbice Man Sentenced to 13 Years

August 20 2025

A 37-year-old Berbice man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 2022 killing of his wife during a violent domestic dispute.

Mahendra Paltoo, also known as “Ajay,” formerly of Lot 12 Bloomfield Village, Corentyne, appeared before Justice Peter Hugh at the Berbice High Court, where he admitted to unlawfully causing the death of Oma Davi Virasammy.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on November 6, 2022, at the couple’s Bloomfield home.

An argument between the two escalated, during which Paltoo armed himself with a cutlass and attacked Virasammy. One of the blows severed an artery in her leg, resulting in fatal blood loss.

A post-mortem examination later confirmed that the cause of death was multiple chop wounds.

Paltoo was initially charged with murder, but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) accepted his guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The plea deal was presented in court by State Counsel Cecilia Corbin.

In delivering the sentence, Justice Hugh stated that the starting point was 21 years, but the term was reduced by one-third in recognition of Paltoo’s early plea and other mitigating factors, which were disclosed in court.

The judge also ordered that time already spent in pre-trial custody be deducted from the overall sentence.