Brother jailed for 3 years for beating brother

A PRINCES TOWN farmer was yesterday sentenced by a High Court judge to three years with hard labour for beating his elder brother with a piece of wood. The incident occurred during a land dispute six years ago. In sentencing Deo Lalan, Justice Anthony Carmona said society was in crisis when family love, consideration and unity between brothers “have taken flight.” Lalan, 42, of Manahambre Road, had pleaded guilty in the San Fernando Second Criminal Assize on July 22 to committing grievous bodily harm to his brother Binda. Initially charged with attempted murder, Lalan pleaded guilty to the lesser count, which State attorney Narissa Ramsundar accepted on behalf of the State.

The charge arose out of an incident on December 4, 1999, in Princes Town, when Binda heard Lalan shout that he “would break his hand and foot and mind him.” Minutes later, Lalan confronted Binda and beat him with a four to five-foot long piece of wood. He was also accused of pelting his brother with an iron stool. Binda suffered head injuries — a cracked skull. State attorney Ramsundar explained that the attack was triggered by a dispute over one and half acres of land, which the father of both brothers had given to Lalan. Carmona was informed that Lalan had offered $20,000 to Binda, but the brother refused. Ramsundar said Binda wanted the land based on a promise by his father, but Lalan did not wish to give it up.

In passing sentence, Carmona urged the families of the feuding brothers to utilise a traditional form of conciliatory justice —  “panchayat system.” The judge intimated that Lalan could have faced a maximum of 15 years in jail. However, Ramsundar told Carmona that a number of community leaders, including a minister of religion, had attempted to resolve the land dispute, but that was fruitless. “Regrettably, it has failed and this court has to resort to the conventional approach,” Justice Carmona said.

Noting that there seemed to be an upsurge in crimes in South Trinidad involving brothers inflicting injuries on each other, Carmona spoke of the role parents play in family life. Referring to parents of the feuding brothers, he said, “The parents had played a major role in creating the family environment filled with venom and a lack of love. The court hopes that good sense will prevail and the parents arrest this situation before it leads to mayhem and even death.”

Carmona said he took into consideration the fact that Lalan had no previous convictions and seemed remorseful for his crime. However, the judge said he must impose a sentence that would reflect contempt for the accused’s behaviour. “You threatened to kill your brother with telling effect. This kind of behaviour is downright primitive and the courts must express disapproval by the appropriate sentence,” Carmona said. Lalan began serving his sentence yesterday.