Ruling today in next Battered Wife case

Bedeau, 42, deemed by a psychiatrist as suffering from ‘Battered Wife Syndrome,’ will be sentenced today in the San Fernando High Court by Justice Anthony Carmona — the same judge who on Wednesday placed Mathura housewife Hilary Narine, on a bond and sent her home, after she (Narine) was charged killing her husband.

Justice Camona will preside in the San Fernando Second Assizes this morning to pass sentence on the case in which Bedeau, like Narine, pleaded in her defence as suffering from Battered Wife Syndrome.

Justice Carmona presided over the trial in which Bedeau is charged with stabbing her husband Bernard, 40, between November 2 and 16, 2002. She burnt his body and buried it at the back of their Point Fortin home.

But Bedeau pleaded in her defence that husband Bernard drank excessivley and beat her often. A 12-member jury two weeks ago found the woman guilty on the lesser count of manslaughter by virtue of Battered Wife Syndrome.

Justice Carmona postponed sentencing for yesterday.

He however heard submissions from the State and Bedeau’s attorney Mewalal Chatoor on the issue of sentencing. State Attorney Angelica Teelucksingh said that the circumstances in Narine and Bedeau’s cases were different. “Unlike Narine, Bedeau waited four days,” the State Attorney said, “before surrendering to the police.” Bedeau, she added, disposed of her husband’s body in an unceremonious manner. Referring to the Probationer’s Officer’s report, Justice Carmona said that Bernard may have also been a victim in the marriage. Justice Camona commented that the report suggested that Bernard was not a “drunk” or a bad parent, but a fun-loving, hard working man, who took care of his children. “This is not the picture painted out by the accused,” the judge added.

Attorney Mewalal Chatoor submitted that Bedeau’s case was one of exceptional circumstances.

Pointing out that all Battered Women’s Syndrome cases were diffrent, some with more mitigation and others with more aggravation, Justice Camona announced that he needed to consider the arguments overnight before giving his sentence today.