Teen to face High Court trial over Mahdia School dorm deaths

The teenage girl who is facing 20 murder charges in relation to the deadly Mahdia School Dorm fire, will now have to face a jury trial after Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce found that there is enough evidence against her to stand trial in the High Court.

The teen was 15-years-old when she was charged in 2023 for the murder of the 20 children who lost their lives in the fire that was allegedly set by her.

At the Mahdia Magistrates’ Court on Friday, the Magistrate committed the teen to face the jury trial over the deaths. She is being represented by Attorney Dexter Todd and a battery of lawyers from his firm, while the state has hired the services of Attorney Latchmie Rahamat as the Special Prosecutor in the case.

The teen remains an inmate of the Juvenile detention centre.

In the aftermath of the 21st May 2023 fire, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Fire Service both found that the fire was maliciously set while many of the students in the dorm were asleep.

The fire swept through the heavily grilled facility, trapping many of the students, and made it difficult for rescuers to gain access.

Eventually more than 25 students were rescued, but sadly 19 of them did not make it out of the inferno and a 20th child died in hospital.

The tragic incident led to several days of national mourning and raised a national conversation on security of school dorms and related issues.

Since then, a Commission of Inquiry was conducted and the Government reached settlements with some of the parents of the children who died. Some other parents have since moved to the High Court to seek compensation for the death of their children.