Two freed of murdering Gafoor’s manager
David Outar and Patrick Ross have been freed of the 2016 murder of Gafoor’s manager Terry Lackhan, who was found dead in his Herstelling, East Bank Demerara home, with a rope around his neck.
The duo was discharged after Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall upheld no-case submissions made by their respective attorneys.
As it relates to Outar, the Judge threw out a caution statement (CS), finding that in its absence, the evidence was insufficient, notwithstanding the at least three other witnesses on which the State was relying to establish circumstantial evidence.
Further, the reported eye-witness who was crucial to the prosecution’s case, had walked out of the court while she was midway in her testimony. Her evidence was deemed not to have been credible.
The Court had granted the prosecution no adjournment to contact the witness nor was any warrant issued for her arrest.
Justice Morris-Ramlall upheld the no-case submissions made on behalf of the former accused and formally directed the jury which had been empanelled to hear the State’s case against them, to return not guilty verdicts.
Outar was represented by defence attorney Stacy Goodings, while Ross was represented by attorney Adrian Thompson.
Meanwhile, the State’s case was led by Prosecutor Muntaz Ali.
The charge against Outar and Ross was that they murdered Lackhan on July 21st, 2016.
Lackhan, 55, was found dead by a neighbour in his home with a rope around his neck.
The neighbour, who had heard a commotion in Lackhan’s upper flat, became suspicious when she saw an individual running out of the yard.
She ventured upstairs to check on Lackhan, since calls made to him went unanswered, and found his body in a room with a rope around his neck.