Murdered fisherman’s relatives protest after court grants bail to accused killer

Over a dozen persons, including relatives and friends of the late John Alexander Yhap, a fisherman from Kilcoy Settlement, Corentyne, Berbice converged Tuesday on the Albion Public Road, a stone’s throw away from the Albion Police Station, to protest for justice. It was on Monday that an accused, Arjune Mohabir, was charged with manslaughter and was placed on $250,000 bail at the New Amsterdam Magistrate Court before Magistrate Peter Hugh. He was accused of killing Yhap, a father of two children, ages 5 and 2. The group of protestors is contending that the accused should not have been granted bail but rather charged for murder and sent to prison.

They braved the mid-morning sun, brandishing placards that read “No bail, we need justice” and “Murderer, no bail”. They all chanted: “We need justice”, under the watchful eyes of the police ranks from Albion Police Station who were looking on. Sister of the dead father of two, Maria Yhap, told reporters that they were protesting because they want justice. “My brother was innocent and he died and leave his two children and wife and this isn’t making any sense,” she said. The woman stressed that they are not “well off” people and it will be difficult to take care of the family, which her brother was forced to leave behind.

The sister denied that her brother hit the accused first with a piece of wood. She said the family was angry when they heard that the accused man allegedly killed her brother and then went back to work on his fishing boat. She revealed that when the incident took place, the police attached to the Albion Police Station did not show up the said day but instead visited the scene the next day. “One week before he (accused) cut the bai throat and he had to get stitch and dem never arrest him. When he murder my brother, he went and tell my aunty how (me done kill he, he done dead) and we get more to get,” she said.

(Kaieteur News)