Hearing into Sherleytine Ernesta’s murder case starts next Monday |12 July 2022

The two persons accused of the murder of Sherleytine Ernesta will plead before the Supreme Court on Monday July 18, 2022, and this will be followed by the hearing.

The hearing had been scheduled to start yesterday. However, Chief Justice Rony Govinden, postponed it for another week after the defense requested an extra week to prepare their case, since they received the written documents from the prosecution only last Friday.

The two accused – 45-year-old Lussel Labiche of Takamaka and 18-year-old Ashten Elisabeth of Anse Royale – are represented by counsels Clifford Andre and Vanessa Gill respectively, while the prosecution is being led by counsels Hemanth Kumar Muninadhan and Gulmette Leste.

They were formally charged on May 31 with murder-related offences.

Labiche is charged with plotting and killing Sherleytine, while Elisabeth is charged with the offence of plotting and assisting to kill the 21-year-old.

Both have been further remanded till next Monday.

The body of 21-year-old Sherlytine Ernesta of Mont Plaisir was found in Bougainville on May 4, 2022, two days after she had been reported missing by the police.

Patsy Canaya