‘Drunkard’ jailed 12 years for killing wife

A drunkard father of four who abused his wife until he killed her, was yesterday sentenced to 12 years hard labour on the lesser count of manslaughter. In sentencing Feeraz Ali, 34, of Brasso Seco Village, Paria, Justice Rajendra Narine traced Ali’s abuse of his wife, his drinking habit and cocaine and marijuana addictions. Recalling a Probation Off-icer’s report, the judge even noted that Ali’s four children, whose ages are ten, seven, six and four, have expressed their desire not to be reunited with their father. They said they are happy with their new homes. Over the years, they had witnessed their father’s constant abuse of their mother Drupatee Ramsahai-Ali and the final beating which claimed her life in October 2000. The children noted that after the beating of their mother, who lay on the floor of their humble house, their father stamped her in the face and walked away.

He left his wife’s body there and went liming with friends. Ali showed no compassion, observed Justice Narine. As a result of previous beatings, Ali’s wife had suffered a broken alimb and even had to leave the house on many occasions. Ali’s attorneys Sophia Chote and Ricky Rahim made a plea in mitigation on his behalf. Chote told the court that Ali was contrite and has since reformed his life. The attorney’s noted that Ali had even expressed the desire to be reunited with his children. Senior State prosecutor Jeron Joseph accepted Ali’s plea to the lesser count and related some of the facts to the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court. Joseph related that sometime between October 26 - 28, 2000, Ali  killed his wife, 43-year-old Drupatee Ramsahai-Ali, and then buried her in a cesspit hole he had dug a month prior to the incident. The post-mortem report said that Drupatee, who was pregnant, died as a result of multiple blunt traumatic injuries, especially head injuries. In other words, she was severely beaten.

When Drupatee started to bleed from her injuries, Ali, a labourer, claimed that he carried her to the nearby river and washed away the blood, but “she just gave up in his hand.” It was only after Sgt Dave Hilaire visited Ali at his home, making enquires about his missing wife, that the body was discovered. Ali first told Hilaire that his wife had “gone” and that he had burnt all her clothes, pointing to a spot where he claimed he burnt the clothes. Hilaire then observed a hole freshly filled in the yard in which he found the semi-nude Drupatee buried.