As the High Court prepares to sit in Demerara from Tuesday 13 January 2026, a sweeping list of criminal matters, from murder to sexual offences and attempts to commit murder, make up the continuation of the judiciary’s heavy caseload.
The Official Gazette lists hundreds of cases, including several high-profile murders and an extensive docket of rape charges awaiting trial or judicial decision before March.
Notably absent from the list is the well publicised murder involving Marlan da Silva, which does not appear among the session’s indictments.
One of the oldest matters now slated for trial traces back to 2012 and involves Samuel Cornelius, who has been charged with the 2012 murder of 17-year-old Anfernee Bowman. The incident occurred on 27 February 2012, when Bowman was fatally stabbed following an altercation outside a tuition centre in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Cornelius was remanded on the murder charge in March 2012, and a preliminary inquiry in January 2013 committed him to stand trial in the High Court.
His trial, which began in 2014 saw him being free but an appeal by the state resulted in the Appeal Court quashing the decision to free him in 2018.
The list also includes Shaquawn Alleyne, better known as “Iswe”, committed on a murder charge in relation to the 2021 killing of his fiancée, Shonette Dover. Dover, 20, was reported missing on April 03 2021; her body was discovered nearly one month later in a shallow grave behind Alleyne’s Canvas City, Wismar, Linden home.
Investigators established that she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Alleyne was arrested in Suriname in January 2024 and subsequently charged with Dover’s murder. He has consistently maintained that the shooting was accidental, asserting the firearm discharged while being cleaned.
Dover’s 15 year old sister was previously charged with accessory after the fact; she allegedly led police to the burial site after confessing to witnessing the shooting and helping conceal the body.
The Official Gazette lists dozens of murder charges scheduled for trial, including but not limited to:
• Dwayne Castello (aka Dwayne Charles c/d Top Cat) — Murder
• Samorea Mitchell (c/d Pastor) — Murder
• Bryan Leitch (c/d Big Foot) — Murder (Retrial)
• Marlon Hunte — Murder
• Damian Ming — Murder
• Joshua Thomas (c/d Josh) — Murder
• Numerous other accused individuals — Murder charges
A significant volume of statutory rape and rape cases are also listed to be heard in this session, from simple rape charges to multiple counts involving children under sixteen years. Included in the list are:
• John Sampson and Alex Williams — Rape
• Carl Gibbons (c/d Sponge Bob) — Rape
• Various individuals charged with rape and rape of a child under sixteen years
• Multiple defendants facing multi count indictments for rape and related sexual offences.
In total, the Gazette lists over 50 separate entries involving rape or sexual activity with a child family member, underscoring the breadth of sexual offence matters awaiting adjudication.
This extensive docket comes against the backdrop of national crime data showing that hundreds of rape cases are reported to Guyana Police Force annually, with serious sexual offences remaining a significant public concern and many cases eventually proceeding to High Court trials after preliminary court processes.
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