Corriverton man gets 20 years for fatal chopping of wife

A Corriverton, Berbice man was yesterday sentenced to 20 years in jail after he recently pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in the High Court at Berbice.

Ravindra Bandoo, 31, admitted to fatally chopping his wife, Indrawattee Somwar, during an argument at their home in Corriverton on March 8, 2016.

Bandoo, who had confessed to the crime, had said that she refused to give him requested cash to purchase alcohol.

But Bandoo, who was represented by attorney Charrandas Persaud, had denied a murder charge that was laid against him and opted instead to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter. His lawyer asked for leniency, while noting that his client did not waste the court’s time.

Meanwhile, Justice James Bovell-Drakes, before handing down the sentence, pointed out that Bandoo was spared from the law previously, as while he was charged for wounding, the case was eventually dismissed, since the deceased, his wife, had refused to give evidence against him.

On March 8, 2016, Bandoo was drinking at a neighbour’s house, after which he proceeded home and an argument ensued between himself and his wife, during which he armed himself with a cutlass and inflicted several chops to her face and head.

Somwar was subsequently picked up and rushed to the Skeldon Public Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to a postmortem examination, the woman died due to haemorrhaging, along with multiple incised wounds.