Judge to sum up next week in south “love affair” trial

In making her closing remarks in the two-month trial in which Lewis, is charged with murdering retired schoolteacher Ramsook, Balkaran told the jury he went to Ramsook’s house on November 5, 2003, with the intentions of killing her. Lewis is before Justice Mark Mohammed and a 12-member mixed jury in the San Fernando Criminal High Court charged with murdering Ramsook, who was found gagged and hog-tied downstairs her house at Alta Garcia Trace, Siparia.

Lewis, 20, who is being represented by attroney Ian Gray, had testified that he had a secret love affair with Ramsook for a year and had gone to her house on that fateful day to end the relationship.

Balkaran told the jury that Lewis had testfied that Ramsook was not expecting him that day and had screamed when she saw him. “If you bump into someone will you scream to the point where you can’t calm down and would you bite the person until flesh is broken?” Balkaran asked the jury, reminding them of evidence that Ramsook screamed and bit Lewis on his hand.

Suggesting that Lewis had gone to the house to kill Ramsook, Balkaran told the jury, “Lewis was not satisfied with tying her up and gagging her. He had to hit her a few blows on the head to finish her off.

Reminding the jury that Lewis then took Ramsook’s car and went for a “joy ride”, she questioned: “Put yourself in the accused shoes and see if this is logical, reasonable behaviour. Is this is the way you treat someone you had a relationship with?”

Although he shared a relationship with Ramsook, Balkaran told the jury that Lewis never returned to the house to check on Ramsook because he knew she was dead.

“Tabeel Lewis went there with the sock in his pocket with the intention of killing Dayah Ramsook. His actions were well-planned,” she added. The post mortem on Ramsook revealed that she died as a result of gagging and strangulation and blunt trauma to the head. Balkaran told the jurors that Lewis claimed that he did not hit her on her head nor did he choke her.

She reminded the jury of the evidence of Forensic pathologist, Hughvon Des Vignes, who testified that Ramsook could only have received the injury on top of her head if someone had struck her with an object. Ramsook also received a broken neck bone which could only have been inflicted if some one choked her, Balkaran said.

Justice Mohammed is expected to sum up the case on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.