Cops move for murder charge in boy’s beating

Police investigators probing the beating of seven-year-old Vinode Singh by a man with a mop handle, yesterday recommended that a charge of attempted murder be laid against the man. Up to yesterday, Singh, a pupil of the Jordan Hill Presbyterian School, remained warded at the San Fernando General Hospital in a serious but stable condition. Singh was struck with a mop handle several times last Wednesday after a dispute over use of a telephone where Singh lives, at Borde Narve Village, near Ste Madeleine. Singh underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen after relatives rushed him to hospital when the boy vomitted and complained of stomach pains.

Yesterday, Police investigators told Newsday they had conducted interviews to determine exactly how the incident occurred. They have concluded that Singh’s beating would bring a charge of attempted murder or grievous bodily harm. Cpl Harragin is investigating. Police said yesterday that senior police officials were awaiting a medical report to determine the severity of Singh’s injuries before preferring the charge. According to reports, Singh was home when his stepbrother, Nadeem Khan, 11, went to visit him.