Guyana school fire: Attorney seeks withdrawal of murder charges against student

An attorney for a 15-year-old student accused of causing a fatal fire on May 22 at Mahdia Secondary School's dormitory in Guyana, which resulted in the death of 19 students, has urged the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to dismiss the charges.

The tragic event at the school took the lives of students aged between 12 to 17 and a five-year-old boy.

Legal defense's argument: Lack of evidence and weak case

Dr. Dexter Todd, the lawyer representing the teenager, conveyed in a correspondence to the DPP that the evidence presented at the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court hearings indicates a lack of substantial proof to validate the murder charges against the young defendant.

Todd emphasized the weaknesses in the case, highlighting the circumstantial nature of the evidence presented.

Deadly blaze at Mahdia Secondary School.
(CMC photo)

Prosecution's claims: Threats and circumstantial evidence

Reports are that the accused had a disagreement with the dormitory’s caretaker over a confiscated cellphone and subsequently made threats to set the dormitory on fire. However, Todd argued that this alleged threat hardly establishes a concrete link to the devastating event.

Moreover, Todd underscored the absence of direct evidence tying the teenager to the blaze’s origin.

He shared that no witnesses placed her near the fire’s starting point, nor did any forensic evidence point to her involvement.

He said the court only has claims by some witnesses that the accused had threatened to burn the dorm down and that she had collected a lighter and perfume from two students.

Todd further pointed out that on the day of the incident, some testimonies noted that other dormitory students were smoking marijuana.

Should the charges against the teenager remain, Todd warned of possible civil and constitutional actions against both the DPP's office and the state, given the perceived lack of evidence.

The 15-year-old, currently at the Juvenile Holding Centre, was not required to enter a plea.

The court completed full disclosure on the case on July 20.