A 45-year-old miner from Itaballi, Region Seven, has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of fellow miner Jimmy Ashby during a drunken altercation in early 2024.
The sentence was imposed by Justice Navindra Singh at the Essequibo High Court after Lloyd Daniels admitted to the lesser count of manslaughter, having initially been charged with murder.
The deadly incident unfolded between January 2 and 3, 2024, at Falls Top, Arimu Backdam, Region Seven.
According to the prosecution, Daniels and Ashby had been consuming El Dorado 5-year-old rum at a shop known as ‘Foxy’ when a heated argument erupted.
Daniels threatened Ashby, saying, “I am going to kill you.”
Hours later, the shop’s owner, David Henry—known as Foxy—discovered Ashby seated on a step outside the shop, blood staining his jersey. When questioned, Ashby responded, “Lloyd juk me,” indicating he had been stabbed.
Ashby requested water and then left the scene. He was discovered the next morning, unresponsive, at a nearby shop called Tennessee.
His body was later transported to the Bartica Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination revealed that Ashby, 58, of Barima River in the North West District, died from shock and hemorrhage due to a stab wound to the chest.
Daniels fled the scene but surrendered to police on January 8, 2024. Initially, he denied any involvement, but during a subsequent police interview, he confessed under caution, stating, “Officer, I did stab he but it wasn’t deep. It was a skin cut.”
During the sentencing hearing, Justice Singh emphasised that violence is never an acceptable solution to conflict and underscored the dangers of alcohol-fueled disputes.
He made it clear that alcohol must be consumed responsibly.
The judge also ordered that Daniels’ five-year sentence be reduced by the time he has already spent in pre-trial detention.
Daniels was represented by defence attorney Tonza Sarabo, while State Counsel Caressa Henry led the case for the prosecution.
