Man appeals conviction in murder of ambulance dispatcher
Sentenced two weeks ago to 60 years for the murder of his former partner—hospital ambulance dispatcher Melissa
Skeete whom he stabbed to death,
Allan Sim has appealed his conviction and sentence.
In his notice of appeal, Sim has advanced that his sentence is “unduly severe” and is hoping that the appellate court would vary it or set it aside altogether.
He contends, too, that the trial judge admitted evidence prejudicial to a fair trial while expressing the view that “the decision was against the weight of the evidence.”
Sim has indicated that further and additional grounds for his appeal will be added whenever his appeal comes up for hearing.
On October 15th, a jury found Sim guilty of the November 23rd, 2015 murder of Skeete.
Following the verdict, Justice Navindra Singh told Sim he found him to be “very cold-blooded” and could find little mitigation in his favour especially since he expressed no remorse at all for his actions.
The judge then imposed the 60-year sentence; ordering that a minimum of 40 be served before Sim becomes eligible for parole.
Police investigators had testified that Sim had said that he stabbed the woman after she first attacked him.
The defence had, however, vehemently denied this, holding that Sim at all times remained silent when questioned about the murder.
Inspector Salish Roopnarine and Detective Inspector Suraj Singh had told the court that during investigations the allegation was put to Sim and he revealed that he had stabbed Skeete, while noting that she had started a relationship with someone else.
The court had heard from the investigators of Sim revealing that on the day in question he went to Skeete’s place of work and picked her up and that while in his vehicle an argument ensued about the man with whom she was living at that time.
The lawmen had told the court that Sim related to them that during the argument Skeete stabbed him and he in turn stabbed her.
Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh had said that Skeete died of perforation of the lung due to a stab wound to the chest. He surmised that she had to have been stabbed with a sharp, pointed object of at least 14 inches.
Skeete, an ambulance dispatcher attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital, was 31-years-old at the time of her death. She was stabbed and tossed from Sim’s car onto a city street bleeding profusely from the wounds inflicted.