30 juli 2005
Michael Cheong
PC Michael Cheong, 42, of Woodbridge, Suffolk, has pleaded not guilty to the 1982 murder at Kuru Kuru, but his wife's aunt testified on Thursday that he arrived unexpectedly at her home and told her he was behind a shooting in which a person died, a BBC report said.
The wife's aunt, Rhona Gibbs, said it had been a surprise when Cheong arrived at her family home in Northampton almost penniless and with a bag. "He had to identify himself because I'd never met him," she said. "I let him in and he came in and sat down and said did anyone from home say anything to us about his situation. "I said 'No, I didn't know about any situation'. "He then said to me that he had just flown in from Guyana and the reason being there was an incident with a shooting which he was involved in, in which a person died. He said he was the one who did it."
According to the BBC, Gibbs said Cheong had told her he did not want to stand trial for the killing in his hometown because his family was not happy about the judicial system in Guyana.
The mother of the deceased, Norma Spencer-Fredericks was also flown to the UK for the trial and she testified on Thursday as well. According to the BBC, she said Cheong's stepfather, Dennis, had been fined for carelessness because his shotgun had been used in the killing, but Cheong had not been tried. Earlier the jury heard from Prosecutor Mark Dennis that Cheong had shot Spencer, a known robber, in the back after he had accosted Cheong's wife and her sister.
Dennis said Cheong's wife, Sandra, who followed him to England, had been told to keep quiet but as the years went by, her loyalty became strained. When the marriage broke down in bitterness in 2003, three years after Cheong joined the Suffolk force, she informed police of the events in Guyana 23 years ago and inquiries began. (Stabroek News)
Barbados police launch island-wide manhunt after shooting death of British teen
Commissioner of Police, Darwin Dottin
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Police in Barbados have launched an island-wide hunt for one man and another is reportedly under watch at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital following Wednesday night's shooting death of British visitor, Daniel Christopher May.
The young man from Essex died after receiving two gunshot wounds to the back. He was shot after reportedly trying to wrestle with a gunman who was in a struggle with his father during an attempted robbery at a private house in Prospect, St. James.
The incident happened shortly after Daniel and some other family members had returned to the house after a night out at a restaurant.
Commissioner of Police, Darwin Dottin says investigations are progressing quickly and said he is hopeful they will be concluded very shortly. (Dawne Bennett/Caribbean Net News Barbados Correspondent)
CGs, gun crimes and smuggling
AMIDST not too vociferous complaints and protestations against the Police, about alleged wrongful and indiscriminate detention, they have stumbled upon a racket involving the popular ‘CG’ motorcycles linked to some recent solved and unsolved gun crimes.
Detective work has revealed that the 125 cc capacity machines, easy to manoeuvre in heavy traffic, were used in a number of robberies, including the big jewellery heist from Humprey’s Pawnbrokery at Avenue of the Republic and Robb Street in Georgetown. It is now history that the two men shot dead in an exchange of fire while fleeing from Police after being fingered in the robbery were riding one of the same motorbikes. And there have been other cases of thieves using the same means of transport in their getaway around the city and further afield.
However, investigations that led Police to target them disclosed that many ‘CGs’ have come into this country illegally, from Suriname and Brazil, and an unknown number were not registered with the local authorities. We have even heard of instances in which the owners of the motorbikes have put on number plates of their own choice and numbering. As a result, in an ongoing campaign, the Police have seized numerous CGs and compelled the claimaints to produce authentic documentation to show how they acquired the machines.
Still, with the known Guyanese ingenuity to forge documents and photos and, yes, number plates, Police are insisting on the highest level of ownership proof. We commend the good Police work that has led to the uncovering of this smuggling scam as we know that it could at least curb the series of attacks by pouncing thieves who can flee crime scenes on the speed readily available CGs. By the way, are all the motor cars that we see with foreign number plates legitimately owned by Guyanese we see driving them?
We raise the question because of awareness that people have acquired motor vehicles from neighbouring Suriname, from where they were bought and brought into this country via the international ferry, and kept for the purpose of ownership through power of attorney documentation. The query is in view of the fact that, if those vehicles are blamed in any accidents, particularly fatal ones, it could be quite difficult for the victims to secure justice. (Guyana Cronicle)
29 juli 2005
Experts on electronic fingerprinting to come - PNCR
At its weekly press briefing yesterday, the party said it has argued for the longest while that GECOM`s original position of introducing a new biometric feature is a key ingredient to ensuring that there is no multiple registration and multiple voting. The party has said that these were features in previous elections.
"2006 is the time for GECOM to get it right and produce an election of unquestionable standard that would engender the confidence of all of the stakeholders and give the country a fair chance in the post elections era to focus on issues of governance and development," the party noted, adding that elections must be held by the constitutionally due time. General elections are constitutionally due by August of next year.
According to the party, as equally important as introducing new biometric features is carrying out a house-to-house verification of the 2001 Official List of Electors (OLE) which is going to be used as the start of the new continuous registration process that is supposed to begin in September. This is to ensure that the preliminary list of electors for the 2006 elections, comprising the OLE and the new registrants, will not be littered with names of the dead and migrants or that there would be registrants with two ID cards as was the case in 2001, the party said. It also noted that there must be equitable use of the state media.
The issue came up at its recent general council and coming out of that specific directives were given which the party leadership will be resolutely implementing. "No stone should be left unturned to ensure that GECOM conducts an election of an acceptable standard... The PNCR will hold the government and GECOM accountable if these conditions are not met," it added. (Stabroek News)
26 juli 2005
Tourists murdered in The Bahamas
Bahamas Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson
ALICE TOWN, Bahamas: The Caribbean is once again receiving some very negative publicity following what some locals are calling the "slaughter" of two Austrian tourists in the quiet community of Bimini in The Bahamas.
Nassau police on Sunday confirmed to Caribbean Net News that the community is reeling from what seems to have been an execution-style slaying at a local hotel.
Police said a hotel maid discovered the couple, thirty-four year old Bolza Berhard and thirty-two-year-old Barbara Refreiin Perfall, at about 12:50 pm on Saturday in a room at the Anchorage Hotel.
Berhard’s body was lying on the floor between two beds, his hands were tied behind his back, and he appeared to have been shot in the back, the police press division said. Perfall, was lying on one of the beds with what appeared to be a number of serious head wounds. Bahamian officials told Caribbean Net News that Bimini depends heavily on tourism, especially from the yachting and boating community.
One Bimini resident called the murders "unsettling," adding that news of such a happening to tourists will be bad for The Bahamas, especially as there is still widespread negative talk about the Caribbean in relation to Natalee Holloway, the eighteen year high-school graduate from Alabama who went missing in Aruba almost two months ago.
"I hope and pray that the awful murders are just an isolated incident and there is no revenge killing or serious fallout," he said. However, emails have already begun to pour into Caribbean Net News from Europe seeking word on the killings. Meanwhile, a special team of detectives from Grand Bahama has been sent to Bimini and up to Monday evening were carrying out investigations into the "gruesome" murders. Last month, members of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), speaking via a press release, said the organisation remains dedicated to the safety and continued development of the region's tourism product, its people and all who visit the Caribbean.
"Despite the number of very high profile events that have garnered a great deal of publicity, in most of our jurisdictions, crimes against visitors are at an all time low despite rising numbers of visitors," the ACCP said. Bahamas Commissioner of Police, Paul Farquharson, is a member of the ACCP. The Commissioners are encouraging visitors to pay close attention to their surroundings, ensure the safety of valuables and avoid, as much as possible, the opening of hotel room doors to strangers.
The ACCP also noted that the region has laboured long and hard to develop its image as one of the safest places in the world and pledged to use every available resource to protect the people of the Caribbean, its borders and visitors. (Norman 'Gus' Thomas/Caribbean Net News Senior Regional Correspondent)
$1million reward for Alabama girl in Aruba
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (UPI): The mother of an 18-year-old girl missing in Aruba for nearly two months has announced a $1 million reward for her daughter's safe return.
Beth Holloway Twitty made the announcement about the reward for Natalee Holloway in Oranjestad, and said friends had come forward with the money to raise the reward from $200,000.
There is also a $100,000 reward in place for information leading to Holloway's possible remains, CNN reported Tuesday.
Holloway on the island celebrating high school graduation. She was last seen leaving a nightclub early on May 30 with Joran Van der Sloot and two brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, ages 18 and 21. All three were taken into custody June 9, but the two brothers were released July 4.
Meanwhile, FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said Aruban authorities have provided the FBI with interviews, statements and documents in the case. (Caribbean Net News)
Kitty man gets 17 years for killing wife
Archer, 32, a former resident of 57 Public Road, Kitty was accused of the murder of his reputed wife Shevon Archer on July 5, 2003. The court heard that he chopped Shevon Archer several times to her neck.
In a statement to the police, Archer said his wife went to his home and accused him of scandalising her name. He said she pulled out a knife and stabbed at him and he took it away and stabbed her in the neck.
The probation report which was presented yesterday by Floyde Rudder, Senior Probation and Social Services Officer, said Archer, the father of two children, appeared to be a violent man and he had a criminal record for violence against a former reputed wife. "The killing of women is prevalent in society today, therefore society needs to send a strong message of how this action is viewed," said Rudder.
Attorney-at-law Hukumchand appeared on behalf of Archer. Faith Mc Gusty appeared on behalf of the state. (Stabroek News)
20 juli 2005
Two boys brutally murdered in Suriname
PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Police in Suriname are investigating the double homicide of two Chinese boys in the capital Paramaribo. It is alleged that two brothers Fuwei (12) and Fulahoe (6) were brutally murdered by a Chinese man Chen Shaoxian (61) early Tuesday morning.
After his heinous crime Shaoxian reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself. His 33-year old son who also lives in the same apartment but apparently was not at home when he killed the two boys has been taken into police custody for questioning. The brutal nature of the crime sent shockwaves through the nation.
Witnesses who had access to the crime scene and police sources reveal that the victims probably were first beheaded and the bodies chopped to pieces. Some parts were flushed down the toilet and investigators had to collect these remains after breaking into the septic tank of the apartment. “It was a bloody mess and the boys were butchered like animals,” said an eyewitness.
The mother of the victims raised the alarm when her sons did not come home after school at around 6.30 pm Monday evening. Her own inquiries indicated that the boys played hooky that day and spent the afternoon in a game room downstairs in the apartment building where their remains were later discovered.
After receiving a telephone call from a Chinese speaking man demanding a US $ 200,000 ransom to release the boys he said he held hostage, the parents alerted police who immediately launched an investigation.
Inquiries led to the apartment of the suspect where, around 3 am Tuesday morning, police eventually stumbled upon the corpse of the suspect hanging from the ceiling in the living room and the brutally dismembered bodies of his young victims in the bathroom. (Ivan Cairo/Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent)
16 juli 2005
Two men were reportedly shot and killed by Police in West Ruimveldt yesterday afternoon. The shooting followed an armed robbery at Humphrey's Jewellery and Pawn Shop at Lot 5-9 Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown.
Dead are Dwight McKenzie, 24, of South Ruimveldt and Eon Alleyne, 22, of 3400 Stevedore Housing Scheme, both in Georgetown.
According to reports, at around 16:30 yesterday, two men armed with guns stormed into the establishment and proceeded to relieve employees of an undisclosed amount of cash. The Police say the men were cornered and shot East Ruimveldt. They were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital and were pronounced dead on arrival. (Guyana Cronicle)
Cop found with stolen gun and ammo - court hears
Yageswar Dhelu pleaded not guilty in the Georgetown Magistrate's Court to the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition, both without being the holder of a firearm licence. Dhelu allegedly had a .38 special revolver in his possession at East La Penitence between July 1 and 6.
It is also alleged that Dhelu also had three rounds of .38 ammunition.
Police alleged that Dhelu was stationed at East La Penitence police station when the gun in question went missing. After the incident, Dhelu reportedly went on continuous sick leave. Police later received reports that the gun was used in a shooting incident in Berbice.
As a result of this information, investigations were carried out and Dhelu was searched. The gun and the matching rounds of ammunition were reportedly found on his person. Dhelu was represented by attorney-at-law Peter Hugh, who told the court his client was originally from Berbice and would usually stay in East La Penitence when he was in town. The defence counsel informed the court that the firearm and ammunition were not found on his client, but in a room in the house. He said many persons had access to the room.
Police Prosecutor Wilfred Sweeney later told the court that Dhelu was a serving member of the police force and there were several matters in Berbice involving the same gun. But Hugh told the court that it would not be the best thing to remand the police officer to prison. After listening to both sides, the magistrate remanded Dhelu to police custody. The matter continues on July 22. (Stabroek News)
15 juli 2005
Policewoman charged with aiding busted UG student
Nuddine-EvansA policewoman, now dismissed, has now been charged with aiding and abetting the University of Guyana law student who was arrested in a drug bust at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, last Sunday.
The dismissed cop, Sandra Inniss, 35, appeared before Magistrate Maxwell Edwards yesterday and pleaded not guilty. She was granted $75,000 bail and is to make her next appearance on July 27, at Providence Court on the East Bank Demerara, where her case has been transferred.
Particulars of the offence said Inniss aided and abetted Nuddine Evans, 17, of Lot ‘L’ Stone Avenue, Campbellville, Georgetown, in trafficking three kilogrammes 236.5 grammes of cocaine. Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Oswald Massiah said Inniss was on duty at the airport when she searched Evans and allowed her to pass through the internal scanner. However, a search on Evans shortly after yielded the narcotic strapped to her body.
The teen appeared before the same magistrate Wednesday and was remanded in Police custody until July 19. Her case, too, has been transferred to another Court. (Guyana Cronicle)
Molasses/drugs baron comes unstuck - faces 30 years
According to Lifestyle Extra online edition, "entrepreneur" Simon Price, 59, posed as the General Manager of London-based Premier Molasses to order huge consignments of sugar from Guyana in a "sophisticated" racket. But by the time the shipment docked in Rotterdam in Holland on June 21 last year, most of the sugar had been replaced by 693 kilos of high-purity cocaine, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
Price, of Highbury New Park, in Highbury, North London, denied attempting to import a Class A drug and exporting cocaine from Guyana, Lifestyle said.
But Price - also known as Stephen Raymond - was convicted unanimously by a jury after six hours of deliberation. A third charge of knowingly being concerned in concealing a controlled drug on a ship was ordered to lie on file. Adjourning sentence until today, Judge Martyn Zeidman QC warned the bespectacled defendant: "I am thinking of a sentence of about 30 years imprisonment bearing in mind we are talking about three-quarters of a tonne of cocaine in this case."
Throughout the hearing the jury was offered extensive protection, including a screen shielding them from the rest of the courtroom and a police escort to and from court. They were also sequestered overnight in a hotel before returning to court to resume their deliberations this morning.
Earlier, Alan Suckling QC, prosecuting, told jurors: "The defendant is 59 years of age. He has addresses in France and London. He describes himself as an entrepreneur and he was the organiser of a major attempt to smuggle cocaine into this country.
"On June 21 a merchant vessel entered the port of Rotterdam. Her cargo included a single container-load of organic sugars, shipped from Guyana and consigned to Premier Molasses of International House, Seven Sisters Road in north London.
"As a result of information received from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, the Dutch authorities inspected the container. It was found to contain nearly 700 kilos of high-purity cocaine hidden in steel drums. The cocaine had a street-level value of 35 million pounds."
The consignment followed three "dry runs" Price and his accomplices used to test the water before the big one. The plan was to ship the drugs on from Holland and smuggle them into England via the docks in Tilbury, Essex, Lifestyle said.
Customs officers planned to snare Price by replacing the cocaine with a "dummy load" and keeping him under observation. But Price had been tipped off about the bust by a port insider and was already planning his defence.
Suckling said: "By the time the ship left Rotterdam on June 24 with the dummy load, he had been told that the container had been examined or scanned there. He began to suspect that the drugs had been discovered and to prepare a defence.
"On June 29 Price telephoned the Customs hotline at Dover and told them about the container," said Mr Suckling. "He said that he was an innocent dupe who had been used by a group of Guyanese with London connections."
Price was arrested and told detectives he had taken the job of purchasing agent for Premier Molasses, but denied any involvement of the cocaine importation racket, saying he was "opposed to drugs." But his car was searched and documents relating to all four shipments were found along with a passport detailing his regular visits to Guyana.
"Others in Guyana and the UK must have been knowing parties to this sophisticated smuggling enterprise. But it is the Crown's case that Price was one of the principal organisers," said Mr Suckling. (Stabroek News)
Man remanded over cemetery clubbing murder
Rondell Bacchus
Rondell Bacchus was not required to plead to the indictable charge of murder. It is alleged that on May 10 Bacchus murdered Brian Goliah.
Stabroek News understands that Goliah who was said to have been destitute was found in the cemetery with wounds about his body. A blood-stained piece of wood with nails embedded was beside him.
The deceased who hails from Curtis Street, Albouystown, had his hands raised as if he were trying to fend off someone. According to reports reaching this newspaper, Bacchus is an inmate of the Camp Street prison with matters pending in the magistrate's court. The matter continues in Court Five on July 21. (Stabroek News)
14 juli 2005
The Police accidentally shot and killed a prisoner who was in custody at the East La Penitence Police Station Tuesday night. The Police said about 21:00 h, Eon Forrestor, 39, of Castello Housing Scheme was fatally shot when another prisoner who was being questioned about an alleged assault on his reputed wife became violent and a scuffle ensued between himself and a policeman.
The rank discharged a round and it accidentally hit Forrestor in the upper abdomen. The wounded Forrester was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) but died while receiving medical attention. Forrestor was in custody for simple larceny and fraudulent conversion when the bullet struck him during the confrontation between the policeman and the other male prisoner.
The Police said yesterday an investigation into the incident has been launched. (Guyana Cronicle)
Twelve years for killing wife
It was alleged that on the day in question, Walters had arrived at the home of his wife and after having a discussion with her, stabbed her with a knife. She had run into her home from outside with Walters chasing her. A while after she told her son that Walters had "jukked" her.
A neighbour saw Victorine Walters in the yard and took her to the hospital where she later died. A post mortem report revealed that the woman died from haemorrhage and shock from a stab wound to her liver. (Stabroek News)
13 juli 2005
Seaman excreted 53 pellets of cocaine - court hears
Kester Bostwick Thom
Kester Bostwick Thom pleaded not guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking and he was subsequently remanded to prison by Magistrate Maxwell Edwards.
Thom of 409 Harpy Drive, North East La Penitence allegedly had 627 grammes of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) alleged that about 11:00 hrs an officer on duty at the check-in point observed Thom acting in a suspicious manner. Thom was an outgoing passenger on a Universal Airlines flight at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. He was subsequently questioned and he allegedly admitted that he had swallowed 44 pellets of cocaine. As a result, he was arrested and taken to the Woodlands Hospital to receive medical attention.
During the five days that he spent in the hospital he reportedly excreted 53 pellets of cocaine. He was charged subsequent to his discharge from the hospital. The matter continues at the Providence Magistrate's Court on July 18. (Stabroek News)
11 juli 2005
Commissioner of Police Mr. Winston Felix pays his respect to those killed in the line of duty.A startling 24 four policemen lost their lives in violent confrontations during the period 2002-2004, when police officers were targeted by criminals, as compared to 26 killed from 1913 to 2002 - a period of 89 years. Law Enforcement Officers were regularly killed in confrontations with criminal elements and even on their way to work during the 2002-2003 crime wave, following the February 23, 2002 Camp Street jailbreak.
Of the five persons - Troy Dick, Shawn Brown, Mark Fraser, Dale Moore, and Andrew Douglas-who shot their way out of the Camp Street jail, only Dick remains at large. 
Home Affairs Minister Ms. Gail Teixiera speaking to Dinesh Mohabir, only child of Police Constable Nankumar Mohabir. Mohabir was shot and killed by criminals while on patrol duty at Friendship Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD) in 2003. ( Pictures by Winston Oudkerk)
The 166th anniversary celebrations of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) continued yesterday with a wreath laying ceremony at the Police Officers’ Mess Compound, Eve Leary for the fifty ‘fallen heroes’.
Delivering an address at yesterday’s ceremony, Commissioner of Police Mr. Winston Felix said that in trying to keep the peace and protecting the country, law enforcement officers have paid the ultimate price. He added that despite this, officers must continue to serve even in the face of great danger. He said that the Officers must provide quality law enforcement that does not permit a revisit of the 2002-2004 situation.
Home Affairs Minister Ms. Gail Teixiera speaking to Former Jamaican Commissioner of Police Mr. Francis Forbes (second from right). Standing at centre is Guyana’s Commissioner Mr. Winston Felix.
According to Felix, Police Officers should recognise their role in protecting citizens, while respecting the law. We must recognize that our role is to protect road users on the road… to protect the society from lawlessness, but at the same time, respecting the law”, the Commissioner declared.
He added that it is the duty of officers to give due regard to human life and to work in partnership with all relevant sections of society to maintain peace and good order.
“This is our duty, even in the face of death, we must stand firm….we must show that we are willing to take law enforcement into the future with sensible policies to come to grips with the current situation”, Felix said. Offering his condolences to relatives and friends of the deceased, Felix assured that their deaths would not go in vain. “The Guyana Police Force must build upon the past, recognizing that their deaths must launch us into the future to protect and serve this country”, he added.Minister of Home Affairs Minister Ms. Gail Teixiera in addressing the gathering called for young persons to join the Force. Adding that many may be afraid in the face of danger, the Minister said that such a job requires courage and dedication. Teixiera added that the Government will pull out all the stops to ensure that the Police Force is equipped to handle the criminals.
“On behalf of the Government of Guyana, please be assured that we will do all that is possible with the Guyana Police force to equip it for it to be stronger and more efficient, to help it to face the new onslaught of criminal forces in society”. The Minister said that Government, in partnership with the Police Force, is taking every measure to improve the security of citizens. She also urged members of the Force to be prepared for the many challenges that lie ahead.
Yesterday’s ceremony also included two minutes of silence and a 21 Gun Salute Reveille for the fallen officers. (Guyana Cronicle)
Soesdyke fire leaves six homeless
Waldron’s home afire.
A FAMILY of six, including a five-month-old baby, is now homeless after their Lot 0 Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara home was gutted by fire Saturday afternoon.
Sharon Waldron, 36, her reputed husband Lennon Joseph, 34, and their four children, aged 13 years to five months, are now seeking shelter at a cousin who lives in the same village
Speaking to the Chronicle yesterday, Waldron said that the family is seeking the assistance to rebuild their home. She said that although they cannot estimate their losses, it is considerable.
The woman said that she was at the Soesdyke Primary School, where she works as a security guard, when her cousin ,Lonnet Falender, brought the sad news around 16:30 hrs. “She rushed into the school yard and said Sharon come quick, yuh house on fire”, Waldron reported.
Homeless: Sharon Waldron and her four children after the fire. From left are: Lennox Joseph, Lenroy Joseph, Lennon Joseph, 4, and Tonya Waldron, 13.
According to the woman, when she got there, the house was already destroyed and nothing was saved.
Her baby son, Lenroy, who was sleeping in a chair and his three-year-old brother Lennox, who was on the verandah, were rescued from the burning house by neighbours. (Guyana Cronicle)
9 juli 2005
Twelve months jail for stealing 'to help auntie pay for house'
Mark Adams of James Street Albouystown had pleaded not guilty to break and enter and larceny at an earlier date. On April 5 at Alexander Street, New Amsterdam Adams broke and entered the dwelling house of Joeann Sinclair and stole one racing bicycle valued $125,000 and one pair of sneakers valued $10,000.
In his explanation Adams told the court "I was going around asking for work and I did thief the bike. I wanted to help my auntie pay for her house." Adams who has tuberculosis, indicated this to the court and the magistrate made an order that he should see a doctor once a month. (Stabroek News)
Last two in Bel Air arms cache case found not guilty
Thompson said that in Gulliver's case the ballistic expert identified the weapon but the parcel was breached and there was no seal on it while the gun was almost out of the bag in a shaggy piece of material. Thompson added that an integrity exhibit has to be preserved. He said the weapon was not tendered as an exhibit but rather for identification purposes. The weapon was not tendered as an exhibit because it was heavily breached. "When the police find a weapon, it should be marked as soon as possible at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID)," Thompson said.
The magistrate also told the court that the weapon changed too many hands before it was marked and lodged and he could not rely on its integrity so in that case he found Gulliver not guilty of his two charges. Regarding Rodrigues, Thompson said that when he looked at the book in which the weapons were recorded, he saw everyone else's names - including police officers Reid, Mc Koy and Kit - but he did not see anything from Superintendent Caesar who was in charge of the operation.
He also said that in the evidence by one of the officers, he never said that Superintendent Caesar had instructed him to mark parcels but Caesar said he had instructed someone to mark them for him. "No one can put someone else's initials on something for them," said Thompson. The magistrate added that Caesar did not know which items were in what package, and in so doing the nexus was broken. Thompson also said "this is a serious and mandatory matter, the evidence must be strong."
Dennis Osbourne was freed of his two charges on June 23.
Rodrigues, Gulliver and Osbourne were each placed on $600,000 bail on September 3 after they appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate's Court on charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. The defendants were arrested after a police raid on a Bel Air Village business on September 1 last year.
Rodrigues, a resident of 14 'B' Shell Road, Kitty was slapped with eight charges. He is alleged to have had six .38 rounds, 60 rounds of 9mm ammunition, one Smith and Wesson .30 pistol, 14 rounds of .32 ammunition, a Ruger machine gun (listed in the charge as a prohibited weapon), 500 rounds of 7.62x39 ammunition and a 9mm Ruger pistol. Gulliver was charged with having 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a 9mm Ruger pistol and one Intratec submachine gun (a prohibited weapon).
Osbourne was allegedly found with a 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol. He was also charged jointly with Gulliver for allegedly having 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Gulliver and Osbourne are residents of Ann's Grove, East Coast Demerara. The three defendants had pleaded not guilty to all of their charges. They were represented by attorneys-at-law Vic Puran, Mark Waldron and Glen Hanoman. (Stabroek News)
6 juli 2005
From left: Home Affairs Minister, Ms. Gail Teixeira, GCCI Senior Vice President, Mr. Edward Boyer, President, Mr. Gerry Gouveia and Chairman of the GCCI Governance and Security Committee, retired GDF Colonel Carl Morgan at the meeting last evening.OFFICIALS of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) met with Minister of Home Affairs, Ms. Gail Teixeira and Commissioner of Police, Mr. Winston Felix last evening to discuss strategies to arrest the current crime situation.
The GCCI had recently disclosed that the existing crime situation is a deterrent to local businesses and future investments, and will seriously affect stability, the business environment and foreign investors, if action was not taken with urgency. The Chamber reported also, that it was willing to work with all relevant agencies to stop the problem before it reaches uncontrollable proportions. It subsequently sent letters requesting a meeting with the Minister and Commissioner.
GCCI officials at the meeting included President of the Chamber, Mr. Gerry Gouveia, Chairman of the GCCI Governance and Security Committee, retired Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Colonel Carl Morgan and Senior Vice-President, Mr. Edward Boyer. The closed door meeting was held in the GCCI Waterloo Street, Georgetown boardroom.
Mr. Gouveia said the Chamber studied and appreciates the National Drug Strategy Plan but noted that there must be finance and equipment to execute the plan. He stressed that the GCCI welcomes the establishment of Neighbourhood Policing Groups, as crimes are being committed one on top of the other. Many laudable movements have been made by the Security Forces, he pointed out, but many issues are still to be addressed.
Minister Teixeira agreed that there are many challenges in crime prevention and as such, developing partnerships must be an integral initiative, and the responsibility must be shared by all sectors. “This is an opportunity to develop our own model of partnership and sometimes we might disagree, but we must respect each other’s views,” she explained, adding that the National Drug Strategy Plan is a very comprehensive approach and will need international support. Teixeira described the meeting as an important forum to find ways of intervention by the Ministry and the Chamber in crime fighting, and noted that her Ministry and the Police Force are working as a team.
Commissioner Felix said he was happy for the opportunity to meet the GCCI officials, as they are the major stakeholders in Georgetown. He said the meeting will also serve to make the Chamber understand the work of the force and the actions it takes. (Guyana Cronicle)
5 juli 2005
St Lucia’s PM wants a solution to the rise in regional crime
Dr Kenny Anthony
CASTRIES, St Lucia: As Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member-countries struggle to combat the sharp rise in regional crime, the incoming chairman of the 15-member grouping, St Lucia's Prime Minister, Dr Kenny Anthony, is desirous of finding a way to reduce the increased level of crime now affecting the region.
In an address at the opening ceremony of the 26th Conference on Sunday, the St Lucian leader noted that the issue is seriously affecting the regional community.
"It is a scourge that threatens all and it gnaws at the very root of economic and social transformation that we seek as attainable fruit of our labours." According to Dr Anthony, "The statistics speak for themselves and the numbers, though varied between states, tell much the same stories.
Dr Anthony said the statistics are a strong reminder of the "soft underbelly of our weak social and legal infrastructure." "They speak," he continued, "of our inability to cope in conventional ways with unprecedented levels of violence, brutality and inhumanity. For many victims life has indeed become nasty, brutish and shortened." Speaking to a packed but hushed ballroom at the Sandals Grand Resort in Gros Islet, Dr Anthony told his audience that the Caribbean could not sit idly by and allow criminals to take over cherished freedoms.
Last week, press reports out of Antigua spoke of a longstanding businessman who was viciously beaten with a brass knuckle in his business place and robbed of EC$500. Hours later, a lone gunman robbed a popular city bakery of some EC$2,400 while the Antigua Sun newspaper on its front page for Monday July 4, 2005, carried a story of a mother who was tied up and robbed on Sunday of EC$15,000 and US$600 in the presence of her terrified 12-month-old daughter.
Over in St Kitts, a former inspector of police who also served as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in St Vincent and the Grenadines was murdered in a reported robbery attempt at his Basseterre home and while CARICOM Heads and other delegates were gathering in Castries at the weekend for the CARICOM Conference an accountant was shot in a robbery in a business place at the Market Square. The victim died in the Victoria Hospital.
“We will have to define and implement new radical responses. In some areas zero tolerance measures may have to be contemplated.” Dr Anthony went on to add that there needs to be a "garnering of forces and a commonality of purpose when dealing with persistent criminality."
A large number of regional observers blame the rise in crime of the return of a large number of deportees from the USA and elsewhere. Many of these deportees have had run-ins with the law in the US, Canada and other places and have now brought their "high-tech" crime techniques to the region. (Norman 'Gus' Thomas/Caribbean Net News Senior Correspondent on assignment in Castries)
2 juli 2005
Constables remanded on car theft charge after taxi driver's murder
The two special constables, who were held at Adventure, Essequibo Coast earlier this week in connection with the disappearance of a car, which murdered taxi driver Martin Conelly had been driving, were yesterday remanded to prison by Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan.
Colin Fraser
An arrest warrant was also issued for their alleged accomplice. Colin Fraser, 25, of 24 James Street, Albousytown and Mark Henry, 32, of Lot 86 La Penitence Street, Albousytown were not required to plead to the indictable charge of simple larceny. 
The two accused between June 21 and 24 allegedly stole one Toyota AT192 motorcar valued $2.9M, property of Rasheed Haniff. Meanwhile, the magistrate has issued an arrest warrant for Gawreshram Pooran, called `Ravi'.
Mark Henry
Police alleged that the car was contracted to the Vegas Taxi Service and was driven by Conelly. After Conelly's battered body was discovered in the cemetery the car was reported missing by Haniff.
Acting on information ranks went to a house at Adventure, Essequibo and found the car. Another car also discovered at the said location was suspected to have been hijacked and used in a robbery. The matter continues on July 28. (Stabroek News)
Gold miner gets one year for stealing bicycle
On June 29 at Nigg Settlement, Corentyne, Bamfield stole one red Mountain bicycle valued at $27,000 property of Seonarine Gobandhan. The matter was reported to the police and he was arrested and charged with the offence. When asked by the magistrate what he wanted to say, Bamfield replied, "Sir I'm asking you to put me on a bail." (Stabroek News)
U.S. hails Guyana drug fighting plan
U.S. Ambassador Roland Bullen:
`Guyana has just taken a huge step to safeguard its democracy from drug lords’
THE United States has hailed Guyana’s master plan to beat back drug rings and curb the illegal narcotics trade which President Bharrat Jagdeo unveiled last month. “Guyana has just taken a huge step to safeguard its democracy from drug lords. I would like to commend the government for its hard work and the National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2005-2009,” U.S. Ambasador to Guyana, Roland Bullen said Thursday night.
He said the U.S. Government “looks forward to working with the Guyana Government to implement the plans outlined in that document”, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. “I would also like to reaffirm our commitment to working with Commissioner of Police Winston Felix and the Guyana Police Force on training programmes to build capacity at the anti-drug law enforcement agencies.” The Ambassador was speaking at a reception he hosted at his residence to mark the Independence anniversary of the U.S.
President Jagdeo and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds were among his guests. GINA said Mr Bullen recalled that the U.S. earlier this year donated a patrol boat to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard to help in the narco-trafficking fight. Additionally, it has just completed an interdiction-training programme with the GDF and the Police Force.
The envoy noted that Guyana has lost many law enforcement officers in the drug fight and he expressed condolences to Commander-in-Chief President Jagdeo, the agencies and the families of the deceased, GINA said. At the reception, Mr Jagdeo noted that drug trafficking is one of the main threats to democracy and that the fight was compounded by the importation of guns and deportees sent back here, the agency said. “We would like to see greater material support in this area to adequately deal with the drug menace through better policy coordination and the formation of a partnership that recognises our peculiar situation,” the President urged.
A National Anti-Narcotics Commission backed by a secretariat will lead the coordinated fight back against the illicit drugs trade under a $G650 million five-year National Drug Strategy Master Plan, the President announced last month. Key elements in the battle plan he outlined include beefing up intelligence gathering, modernising the capabilities of the Police Force, more resources for counter-narcotics agencies, and greater bilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries.
At the launching at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, he said the commission will be the focal point in this new counter-narcotics strategy which will lead to the overall improvement in co-ordination by various agencies. He said the commission will over the next five years oversee programmed activities against drug supply and demand. At the Thursday night reception, Mr Jagdeo, on behalf of Guyana, acknowledged the “many strides the U.S. made to become the world power” since its Independence, GINA said.
It reported that the President also reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to democracy, adding that the country vividly recalls its almost three decades of undemocratic rule. He also noted that Guyana has had constitutional changes to ensure democracy at the level of the Parliament, the Judiciary and the Attorney General’s Office. The President pointed out that democracy should be the business of every member of society and not only the government’s, as political instability is a threat to democracy.
GINA said he also thanked the U.S. for the assistance it has promised for the general elections scheduled for next year. “The U.S. is committed to helping Guyana hold a free, fair and peaceful election with results accepted by all competing parties,” Bullen said, adding that his country’s independence was founded on liberty and a representative government.
Mr Jagdeo also thanked the U.S. for helping Guyana fight poverty and HIV/AIDS and urged its support for debt relief from the Inter-American Development Bank. Guyana’s biggest debt now is to the bank. “The U.S. is not only a major trading partner, but it has supported Guyana’s progress through its generous development assistance partnership through areas of democracy and economic growth,” President Jagdeo said. He also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to fostering relations with the U.S., GINA said. Guyana Cronicle)
GPL steps up campaign against electricity theft
UPROOTED: unearthing an illegal underground connection in Lamaha Park yesterday.THE Loss Reduction Department and Fraud Squad of Guyana Power & Light (GPL), accompanied by police, yesterday swooped on several areas in Georgetown and removed illegal connections.
The exercise began in Guyhoc Park and moved to Lamaha Park and North Sophia. GPL Public Relations Officer, Ms Marjorie Chester later explained that it was part of an intensified campaign to reduce losses suffered by the utility and help manage expenditure on fuel and other requirements.
“We have to continue this exercise…we have to do whatever it takes to reduce the losses,” she maintained. She said, for now, the illegal connections are being destroyed but, as the efforts intensify, the culprits will be prosecuted to make them aware of the wrong in which they are engaging.
GPL conducted a similarly unexpected campaign earlier this year but it was abruptly aborted after a crew was violently attacked by residents in Sophia.