Goa: After 7 years, stabbing accused gets prison sentence of 3 yrs

PANAJI: A Mapusa court has sentenced Anton Paul Britto to three years rigorous imprisonment for the attempt to murder of a taxi driver in Morjim in 2012. Britto has also been fined Rs 25,000, of which Rs 10,000 is to be paid to the victim, Gajanan Shetgaonkar, as compensation.
While deciding the sentence, additional sessions judge, Mapusa, Sherin Paul noted that the trial has taken around seven years and stated that the period of detention undergone by the accused during investigation and trial be set off in terms of Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The court noted that the victim gave evidence that the accused overtook him, halted his two-wheeler in front of his car, preventing the victim from going forwards and thus facilitated the assault with a knife.
“The accused in the present case was bound to know that such an act of stabbing PW3 (the victim) on the chest would have been likely to cause death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, given the fact that the stabs was on a vital part of the body, that is the chest,” the court held, adding that the hurt certificate reveal that there was a collapse of the underlying lung, for which the victim had to undergo surgery.
Public prosecutor A Talaulikar stated that the accused was involved in other offences of similar nature that are pending investigation before the Pernem police station while J Fernandes, the advocate representing the accused submitted that this is the first case in which he has been convicted.
The prosecution’s case centred around the victim’s evidence.