A jury yesterday took just around one hour to unanimously declare the two men accused of killing former Shaheed Boys' Orphanage resident, Rahim Abdool, not guilty of the capital offence of murder.
Nazir Hamid and Yusuf Rahman called 'Kenneth' both gestured prayerfully, thanked the court then exited moments after the verdict was delivered before Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh, the defence and prosecution teams and a packed courtroom.
"I wish you all the best in your future life... go in peace," Justice Singh told Hamid, the number one accused shortly after the court heard the verdict. The judge also told both men to thank their God and each responded that they had already done that.
Hamid and Rahman were jointly charged with killing Abdool between December 16 and 17, 2002.
The prosecution, represented by State Counsel Simone Bullen, had led circumstantial evidence in an attempt to prove that Hamid and Rahman were responsible for Abdool's murder.
Prosecution witness, Bibi Naas Hakim, who is the housemother of the orphanage, had said in her evidence during the trial that Abdool had left the orphanage and gone to the K. Rahaman and Sons store [at the corner of Russell and Evans Streets, Charlestown] in the company of another resident, Ramo Duke, on the morning of December 16, 2002. She had also claimed that after both boys had failed to return home for the usual prayer session at 6 pm; she had telephoned the store twice and had spoken with Rahman, who had told her on both occasions that the boys were packing something. According to Hakim, approximately one hour after her last telephone conversation with Rahman, she had received a telephone call from Hamid who had told her that Abdool had been missing since that morning and that she should make a report to the police the following day [December 17, 2002] because he (Hamid) might encounter problems for indulging in child labour.
Hakim had testified that Duke had returned the following day around 5 pm but had later been removed from the orphanage by attorney-at-law Priya Manickchand.
Defence attorney Hukumchand had contended that Hakim was not a credible witness and noted that she had lied to police in two separate statements. According to Hukumchand's arguments, his clients were victims of a power struggle between two factions of the Muslim community, the Anjuman and the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG).