Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to challenge President Granger’s Gecom chairman appointment in court

Opposition leader Bharat Jagdeo did not hold back his anger following the president’s decision to name Justice James Patterson as the new chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission. At a hurriedly called press conference, Jagdeo said: “today is one of the darkest days in the fledgling democracy.” He said this is an “Untrustworthy President”.
Further, he plans to apply political pressure and said the government will not have the cooperation of the Opposition PPP.
At a meeting this afternoon, President David Granger told the opposition leader that he rejected his third list and will move to appoint Patterson as the new chairman.
Patterson was sworn in this evening( Thursday, October 19th, 2017). The president has maintained that he is following the constitution.

Saga’s killer remanded

The indictable charge was today read to Aubrey Bobb who is accused of killing popular Berbice car park vendor, Godfrey Scipio called “Saga”. Scipio was shot and killed during a daring robbery last week in the vicinity of Sunset view hotel on Stanley Place Kitty. The gunman allegedly took the man’s gold chain and also robbed the man’s female companion.

After shooting and robbing the businessman, the suspect calmly left the scene, but what helped the police to quickly crack the case was that the entire shooting was captured on surveillance camera. 

When the matter was called before chief Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan, the accused stood expressionless as the charges were read to him. He was remanded to prison until November 1st, when he will make his next court appearance.

 

Meanwhile, Bobb man was also slapped with a 3-year jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to possession of 56 grams of cannabis. The cannabis was found in the man’s possession  on the day of his arrest.

 

“Smallie” back in court on murder trial

It was another day in court for condemned and recaptured prison escapee, Mark Royden Williams. He along with Sherwin Nero, appeared in the High court this morning as the trial commenced into the murder of Kumar Singh called “Mango Man”.

 

Dead Kumar Singh “call mango man”.

The alleged murder took place back in 2007 at Cove and John, East Coast Demerara.

The men appeared before Justice Brassingon Renolds in the High Court. Attorney at law, Nigel Hughes who is representing Nero said the two men were charged since July 2008 and it is only now that the indictment is coming up. The men were committed to stand trial in 2012.

Hughes pointed to a recent Caribbean Court of Justice decision in which Bridgelall it took 6 years, including the appellate process for Mr. Bridgelall to get to the CCJ, which was said to be an unreasonable time. Hughes, said he submitted to the court that a wait for 9 years, from the time the men were charged, to the time the case came up in the High court was more than an unreasonable breach of their fundamental constitutional rights which is granted by article 144.

 

Murder accused Mark Royden Williams and Sherwin Nero,

The attorney told the court that in September, his client Nero had filed an action in the High court saying that the delay in getting his matter tried was unconstitutional. In addition to that, he noted that one of the witnesses for Nero’s defense had passed away two years ago and he would have provided him with a good defense.

 

Hughes also appeared Amicus curiae for Williams and he believes that Williams’ circumstances are of significant legal importance and the court ought not to allow a breach of his rights in this case.  The third accused in the case Andrew Philander perished in a fire in the jailhouse over a year ago.

 

Under tight security, the lawmen took up a strategic position in the courtyard as they escorted Williams and Nero back to the Camp Street Jail.

 

(VIDEO) Missing men had close contact with confessed killer of Corentyne block maker

Residents of No. 55 Village, Corentyne are calling on law enforcement officials to take a closer look at the main suspect in the chopping and burning to death of Mahendra Ghanie, 21.

Villagers fear two men who have gone missing and were closely connected to cattle farmer and businessman, Bharrat Ramsaywack, 42, may have been murdered.

On Tuesday, Ramsaywack, his teenage son and Mohanlall Sewsankar 19, a laborer of No. 55 Village were jointly charged with the murder of the block maker who resided at Bloomfield Village with his family.

‘Tappir man’ as he is famously known, mysteriously disappeared three years ago. Prior to his disappearance, he would frequently visit Ramsaywack. Several inquiries were made to the businessman about the man’s whereabouts but residents were told he was overseas.

This was corroborated by the missing man’s wife whose only name was given as ‘Batitta’.

The woman in question spoke to this news entity and said her husband was overseas for the past three years. “He is in London USA,” she said.

Appearing very nervous while she was being questioned by a reporter of this online news entity, she related that her husband calls her every day.

The suspect was contracted to build the couple’s bridge when ‘Batitta’ came into contact with him and the two developed a close relationship. Soon after the woman’s husband started visiting the man at his home, which is located in a remote area. Then he went missing without a trace, according to villagers.

A request was made to the missing man’s wife for a photograph of him but was denied. She was reluctant to give any additional information about her husband, whom she shares two children with.

Villagers say that the man has not contacted any of his friends nor has anyone reported seeing him abroad.

Another, person from the community who villagers say once lived with Ramsaywack is ‘Palie’ only name given. He has not been seen or heard from for the past eight months, according to residents.

‘Palie’ reportedly originated from the East Coast of Demerara and had been living in the village for several years assisting Ramsaywaack with his cattle until an incident between the two and he was asked to leave.

Inquiries were also made by villagers about, ‘Palie’ but Ramsaywack allegedly told them he was at sea.

Villagers are calling the police to take a closer look into this matter, noting a missing person’s report was filed for ‘Palie’ and no investigation was launched.

A close friend of the suspect, Rickraj Poonai also called ‘Cajo’ of had visited the home of the accused less than 12 hours before Ghanie was murdered.

His visit has raised suspicion among villagers who are questioning whether the man is more knowledge of the crime his friend committed than he claims.

Meanwhile, the trio which is now in custody had told investigators that Ghanie was accused of stealing two of Ramsaywack’s goats and one of them lashed him with a piece of wood to the head allegedly resulting in his death.

In an attempt to dispose of the body they chopped it into pieces and then took it to the side of the yard on Monday evening and used dried coconuts and dried palm branches to burn it.

Trio charged for double murder of South Road senior citizens

Trio charged for double murder of South Road senior citizens.

Three men were this afternoon arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and charged with the double murder of church elders, Phyllis Ceasar and Constance Fraser. The men are Christopher Khan, Steven Andrews and Phillip Sufferin who all appeared before chief magistrate Ann Mclennon and were read the indictable charge. Ceasar 73 and Fraser 87 died from suffocation and strangulation. The two women were found in their South Road and Albert Street home, bound and gagged.
The home was ransacked as the suspects stole articles and cash. A church member immediately alerted the police after making the discovery. Phyllis worked as a caretaker of the Full Gospel Assembly church which is located just next-door and both women were committed members of the church.
The trio were remanded and will return to court on October 26th. Meanwhile, the girlfriend of the alleged mastermind of the double murder was also charged. The Albouystown woman, Sita Khan appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore and was placed on $25,000 bail for obtaining stolen articles. The court was told that Khan received some $60,000 from Christopher Khan one of the murder accused, between the 2nd and 3rd of October believed to be part of the stolen proceeds from the two murder suspects. The unrepresented woman denied the charge. She will return to court on October 25th.

“Grey boy” sentenced to 3months in prison for threatening Crum-Ewing’s mother

Regan “Grey Boy” Rodrigues was furious after Magistrate Dylon Bess handed down the 3 month sentence in the Georgetown Magistrates’ court this morning. He believes that the magistrate was unjust to him and made his voice heard in the courtyard.
Magistrate Bess in his ruling said he thought there was enough evidence to convict Rodrigues after listening to the prosecution and the witness and said that Grey boy’s words can cause fear to Mrs. Harcourt. Rodrigues was brought before the court on an allegation of using threatening language to Donna Harcourt, the mother of dead Political Activist Courtney Crum-Ewing.

It was while Magistrate Bess was compiling his ruling when he found out that Rodrigues was charged under Section 141 (c) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act Chapter 8:02, instead of Section 141 (a). Rodrigues reportedly made the threatening remarks to Harcourt at Wellington and Regent Streets.
After being sentenced “Grey boy” was reluctant to go into the Police vehicle, which transfer prisoners to the Camp Street Jail.

Prison escapee ‘Smallie’ recaptured in Berbice

Notorious prison escapee, Royden ‘Smallie’ Williams was recaptured this evening by police at Weldaad on the West Coast of Berbice. Williams is said to be the mastermind behind the recent Camp Street jailbreak and subsequent fire.

The closest the security forces got to Williams was in Linden where fellow prison escapee Uree Varswyck was shot and killed but Williams managed to escape. Police sources confirmed that Williams was intercepted at a roadblock in a mini-bus and he was unarmed.

Williams was on the run for the past three months and was said to be hiding out in various parts of the lower East Coast. The police in a release said his recapture was intelligence lead operations.

SWAT Commander relieved of his post days after he was robbed at gunpoint

The decision came just mere minutes after the Police Public Relations department issued a statement saying that the commander was robbed at gunpoint. According to the police report, the Deputy Superintendent of Police Lonsdale Withrite, was in the company of a female on the Industry Seawall, East Coast Demerara when three men pounced on him at gunpoint and took away his Service Pistol and a magazine containing sixteen (16) live rounds and his motor car.
That incident occurred on Monday night just around  21:00hrs the Police say. The three bandits also discharged two rounds before leaving the scene. The car was later recovered at Ogle Airstrip Road a few hours later after the Police were alerted.

Rape accused escapes from the Lusignan jail

The prisoner has been identified as Dellon Blake. Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels said the escapee is of mixed race and his Date of Birth was given as 1982-02-04.  The director’s release said that at the time of his incarceration the man’s last known address was given as Kumuni Creek Demerara River, West Bank Demerara.
The director said that the prisoner was housed in holding Bay 2 at the Lusignan prison.
The director also said that the man has a teardrop tattoo on the left side of his face and he cuts cabbage for a living. Blake was remanded to Prison on July 24th, 2017 on a rape allegation.