Just over a year after the Caribbean Court of Justice reduced the sentence of convicted murderer Bibi Gopaul to 30 years, with eligibility for parole after 15 years, Gopaul who was found guilty and jailed for the murder of her daughter, Neesa Gopaul, has been released from prison.

On Friday when contacted on reports of Gopaul’s early release, Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliott, denied that she had been released and told News Source that she remains in the prison system.

However, when contacted today after new reports surfaced of her release, Mr. Elliott confirmed the early release and sought to explain the rationale for the release.

At first, he said that she had been paroled and released from prison. But News Source had earlier contacted the Chairperson of the Parole Board, Debra Kumar and she said the Parole Board had no role in the matter, since Gopaul’s release or an application for her release was never taken before the Parole Board.

When that information was relayed to the Prison Director, he changed his story and said Gopaul’s release was based on other factors, including the reduced sentence, time served, remission and good behaviour.

Mr. Elliott said with those factors in place, there was no need for the convicted prisoner to make an application for parole, since she was eligible for full release and it was that full release which was granted.

“When her sentence was calculated as to prison time, so the time that she spent on remand was also included in order to be deducted. And I think her case profile which is on the CCJ website, included the clause which was attached to it…providing if when we finish calculating the sentence, and the time remaining in prison, then the person can opt for parole, but if the person’s sentence when we finish calculating including the clause that I indicated, then once her sentence is up, there is no option for her to apply for parole because her sentence is up”, he explained.

Based on the Prison’s calculation with the inclusion of time served and other factors, it would then mean that Gopaul’s total time of remission added up to seven years, which according to one senior prison official, appeared very high.

News Source understands that on several occasions, a total of 90 days were removed from Gopaul’s sentence. Initially, 90 days were removed for her work with the Prison in making face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. But even after that project came to an end, there were a number of occasions where additional 90-day periods were removed from her sentence after being granted by Prison officials.

There are also reports that a new prison record was created for Gopaul with an earlier release date, thereby allowing the early release.

The Neesa Gopaul murder case was a high profile case. The teen’s lifeless body was found in a suitcase dumped near a creek along the Linden Soesdyke Highway back in 2010.

The teen’s mother and her step father were charged for the murder and found guilty by jury trial. However, they appealed the case at the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the convictions but reduced the sentences to 45-years each.

The two took their appeal further to the Caribbean Court of Justice. The matter was heard, and in August 2022, the CCJ dismissed the conviction against the stepfather, Jarvis Small, resulting in his release. But the Court affirmed the mother’s conviction, however, it reduced her sentence further to 30 years in jail with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Gopaul was quietly released by the Prison Service a few weeks ago and has been resettling in her West Demerara community. However, the secrecy surrounding her early release, the calculations used for the early release and the complete shut out of the Parole Board, have raised a number of new questions.

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CCJ denies appeal for ex-Coast Guard members convicted of murdering gold miner CCJ frees stepfather and reduces sentence of mother in Neesa Gopaul murder case Jail sentence for Neesa Gopaul’s murderers reduced to 45 years Prison parolees have been staying away from trouble with the law -Parole Board finds