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Another bandit, Colin Jacobs, also known as Paul Lynch, was also killed during the shootout in Hardina Street, Wortmanville.

Dick was one of the five dangerous criminals who shot their way out of the Georgetown Prisons on February 23, 2002, and spread a long reign of criminal terror in Georgetown and along the East Coast Demerara before four of them were shot or found dead in separate incidents.

Dick was also wanted in connection with the assassination of Agriculture Minister Mr Satyadeow `Sash’ Sawh who was gunned down in his house on the night of April 22, 2006.

According to Police, Ashraf Alli, 33, of Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, was attacked by two men, one of whom had a handgun, at Regent and Wellington Streets, Georgetown. Police said the man with the firearm discharged several rounds, held up Alli and took away the money after a scuffle.

The two robbers ran south along Wellington Street and as they fled, the man with the firearm discharged several shots in Alli’s direction. No one was injured but the windscreen of a vehicle parked in the vicinity was damaged. The two men subsequently joined a motor vehicle, Police said.

Police patrol ranks responded promptly to the report and acting on information received, confronted three men who had left a motor car in Hardina Street. Two of the men were at the time attempting to hijack a motor car.

Police said there was a chase and an exchange of gunfire which resulted in Lynch, 34, of Globe Yard, Waterloo Street, Georgetown being fatally wounded. Police said an unlicensed .38 snub nose revolver along with matching live rounds and spent shells were found at the scene.

Police said an AK-47 rifle with the butt sawn off, along with four magazines and a quantity of matching live rounds were found on him.

During the exchange of gunfire, Police reported, Kwame Patterson, 33, of Prospect, East Bank Demerara, who was in the motor vehicle, was shot in his right knee. He was treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and sent away. A third person involved in the robbery escaped, Police said.

Residents in the area said the three men treid to flee from the pursuing cops by jumping the fence of a yard. However, they had no chance of escaping since the Police had already surrounded the place. According to residents, several shots rang out in the area before the Police were seen dragging the men out of the yard. There was a trail of blood leading from the yard to the road.

The robbery and killing of the two bandits yesterday followed the killing Tuesday of Regent Street store owner Shirool Persaud. She was shot dead just before noon when two men pretending to be customers attacked her in the cashier’s cage and fled with a bag containing money. Dick was also wanted in relation to an indictment for murder pending before the High Court.

They shot the guard, Roxanne Winfield, who was on the inner gate, in the head, after she had refused to hand over her keys, throwing them into a corner instead, and then stabbed to death 21-year old prison officer, Troy Williams, who was on the outer gate and had rushed to her aid.

Winfield was permanently disfigured in the men’s successful freedom bid. The escapees hijacked two cars which they later abandoned. Four of them were killed at varying times during their reign of terror.

The first to die was Douglas whose body was found in an abandoned car on the East Bank Demerara Highway. Dale Moore and Mark Fraser died in the wake of the kidnapping and escape of businessman Bramanand Nandalall.

On June 6, 2003, Shawn Browne and two others were killed in a shootout with a joint force of Police and Army ranks when they raided his Prashad Nagar, Georgetown hideout. The police also retrieved weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle, from the house in which the men were hiding. Douglas, Moore, Browne, and Dick had been on remand on charges of murder and/or armed robbery, while Fraser, had been serving a sentence of 25 years for robbery.

Following their escape, Police were offering a $10M reward for information leading to their recapture and said that they were involved in the killing of well-known crime fighter, Police Superintendent Leon Fraser on April 2 when he and other cops closed in on a car partly hidden in a clump of bushes at Yarrowkabra on the Linden/Soesdyke highway. Fraser was shot in the head.

Dick was also one of ten men wanted in connection with the murder of Sawh who was killed in his home on the night of April 22, 2006. The Police have announced a $2M reward each would be offered for information leading to the capture of the 10 men. Most of the wanted are members of a feared gang with links in Agricola, East Bank Demerara, including its reputed leader Rondell Rawlins, widely known as `Fineman’, of Titus Street, Agricola and Buxton.

Others wanted for questioning include David Zammett called David Leander or “Bullet” of Buxton; Jermaine Charles called “Skinny” of Agricola and Richard Daniels called “Chucky” of Agricola and Orlando Andrews called “Biscuit” and “Jeffrey”.

The others who Police said are known only by their call names are “Cash” of Buxton; “Not Nice” of Buxton; “Sonny” of Agricola and “John Kirby” of Agricola.

The gruesome gunning down of Minister Sawh and two of his siblings - brother Rajpat Rai, sister Pulmatie Persaud - both Canadian citizens, along with security guard Curtis Robertson at his 61-62 Earl’s Court, La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara, home, was reportedly carried out by armed men who Police said were masked and wore camouflage clothing.

The armed men left the centre of their bloody rampage on foot, just as they came. Robertson, 37, father of seven children, ages one to 13, was on duty at the minister’s residence when he was shot and killed. He lived at Lot 59 Cross Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, and had been employed by Strategic Action Security for the past 10 years.

Rawlins, Andrews, Zammett, Charles, Daniels, “John Kirby” are also wanted in connection with other murders and other serious offences.

The Agricola gang of Rawlins, Daniels called `Chucky’ and Charles called `Skinny’ has been linked to the 15-member gang involved in the Agricola, East Bank Demerara bloodbath on the night of February 26 when eight people were massacred.

Killed were MMC security guards: Sheldon Smartt, Cedric Dummet and Loris Semple as well as pensioners, Hannah Cameron and David Brummel. Assistant Town Clerk Lavern Scott-Garraway and Cecil Duncan were all shot to death. One of the alleged gang members, Devon Cambridge, was reportedly picked up on the McDoom Public Road and later executed on Hadfield Street, D'Urban Backlands, Georgetown.

He was found with his hands tied behind his back and with several bullet wounds about his body. According to sources, his killing was at the hands of gunmen, allegedly working for a rival killing squad, and was a tit-for-tat warfare between the two groups.

In addition , `Chucky’, `Skinny’ and John Kirby were named by witnesses in the killing of 12-year-old Kevin Brown called “Shawnie” of Lot 63 Back Street, McDoom. He was shot dead when five gunmen attacked his house on March 18. (Guyana Cronicle)

Let’s overcome political divisions

President appeals as Ninth Parliament opens

President Bharrat Jagdeo is met on arrival at Parliament Buildings yesterday by from left, Speaker Ralph Ramkarran, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Guyana Defence Force Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins and Police Commissioner Henry Greene. (Winston Oudkerk photo)

The Ninth Parliament formally opened yesterday with President Bharrat Jagdeo again pledging that his Government wants to work with the political opposition to find innovative ways to solve the problems affecting Guyana.

He also said that the burning issue of crime and security in the country would be given high priority in his government’s new term, adding that reforms will focus on strengthening the crime fighting capabilities of the Police Force and will include better intelligence gathering.

Other aspects of beefing up the Police Force, he said, are provision of hardware, improving forensic and investigative capabilities, training special units to deal with serious crimes and having the best international advice.

In an address that lasted about an hour at the ceremonial opening of the Ninth Parliament, he noted that work has started on major reforms to the Police Force and on judicial reforms. “Work has started, we have a clear idea what changes are needed, we now have to urgently move forward,” the President declared. He acknowledged that Guyanese are troubled by criminal activities in various forms and manifestations – such as crimes involving arms and other weapons, narco-trafficking, economic crimes, traffic offences and domestic violence.

All of these, he said, have played a role in generating tensions in society. “Lives have been shattered and the future of many families of innocent victims of crimes terribly affected. The cost on our economy is tremendous and our image abroad has suffered.”

President Jagdeo also indicated that he has asked Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Clement Rohee to “work with the Police Force to pursue this matter” with a single minded focus. On the political front, he stuck with the reaching out theme he used for his inauguration after his landslide win at the August 28 elections, and said this will be pursued within an enhanced framework for political cooperation.

This, he said, will encompass the principles of increased meaningful contact, the identification and implementation of an agreed agenda of national issues, and greater scope for the participation of civil society in the decision making process.

Mr Jagdeo said he hopes to meet all the parliamentary parties shortly so that they can “hammer out the modalities of this framework of cooperation”. “I believe that we have to make a more concerted effort to overcome our political divisions so that we can create the sort of environment that will allow for the creation of wealth and consequently, for addressing the social concerns of our people,” the Guyanese Head of State said.

“This I believe will strengthen the cohesive fabric of our society and provide the adhesive glue for long-term peace and stability in the country. It would also lessen opportunities for those in our midst who use buzz words such as ‘alienation’ and ‘marginalisation’ to advance their own agendas of dividing and exploiting our people,” the President asserted.

NEW POLITICAL CULTURE

Consistent with the thrust towards inclusive governance, he said, will be “the fashioning of a new political culture”, which he cautioned cannot be contrived or rushed but “must be allowed to find its natural fit within our body politic”.

He also promised that his government will pursue parliamentary and constitutional reforms aimed at giving effect to outstanding decisions. “I do not believe that at this juncture in our country’s modernization quest, we can lose any opportunity to ensure that these outstanding reforms are tabled and settled,” he posited.

The core elements of the task towards political transformation, he said, will include constitutional and legislative reforms that will involve all political parties represented in Parliament and the wider civil society.

The underlying pillars of the new political framework will include meaningful engagements with all political parties, reforms of the legislative and judicial branches of the government and continuous engagements of the progressive civil society in the governance of this country, he said. In the economic sphere, President Jagdeo said it is his Government’s commitment to restructure and re-orient the economy to achieve greater qualitative output.

It is in this context, he said, that it will continue to facilitate the strengthening of the traditional sectors, support new and growing sectors such as information technology, aqua-culture and eco-tourism, and redouble efforts to improve and sustain a business friendly environment that will make Guyana a choice investment destination.

The President said underpinning these strategic initiatives will be a sustained emphasis on infrastructure development. “Our economy must be one capable of generating wealth, leading to higher standards of living for our people, one that ensures that every home has access to potable water, electricity and telephones, guaranteed first-rate public health care, secure education, sporting and recreational opportunities for our children that would allow them to fulfill their potential and one that provides greater personal security and assures that our elderly and indigent are treated with dignity and fairness,” the President said.

To achieve these objectives, the President told the House that trust will have to be built at the political level and create political space for all. “Violence and threats must give way to dialogue and the development of our country should remain paramount in all our political discourse. At the economic level we must continue to embrace an economic system that is open and driven by an aggressive entrepreneurial ethic,” the President said.

Within the social sectors, he said the Government will continue to expand access and quality of basic social services to all Guyanese and work towards the upliftment of the physically challenged and socially disadvantaged in society.

Mr Jagdeo also said his government will pursue approaches predicated on the respect for the rule of law, the fair allocation of resources, protection of political, civil and human rights and accountability and transparency.

FIGHT CORRUPTION

He said his Government is committed to strengthening the integrity of the public institutions in Guyana, declaring that this will involve “continuing the relentless fight against corruption and an unequivocal subscription to transparency and accountability in the affairs of Government.”

“We will institute a process of change at all levels of society to achieve greater progress, including the way in which we engage each other and do business. We will take all necessary measures to create a society where there are opportunities for all to build a more inclusive society in which there is equal treatment before the law and by all agencies whether public or private,” he said.

In his address, he also implored representatives from both sides of the National Assembly to work together in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.

The President also expressed the hope that all the parliamentarians will find common ground to move Guyana forward. “I believe there exists the need to deepen the cordial contacts, the spirit of compromise, the exchange of ideas and increase cooperation between members on both sides of the floor,” he urged the parliamentarians.

While he expects the representatives of the Parliamentary opposition to be “robust in offering constructive criticism and offer alternatives” to the Government’s legislative and policy agenda, the President said it is not the intention of his government “to retard the deliberative nature of the National Assembly or to dominate the proceedings in the House”.

“We believe that through the exchange of ideas, discussions and respective debates, there can emerge ideas and suggestions that would further the well-being of our people. Therefore, no matter from which side of the House these suggestions emanate, the Government will be receptive towards them,” the President assured.

Within the next five years, the President said his Government will work towards the “political, economic and social transformation of our country in which all of our people will have equal access to resources and benefit from economic development and improvements in social conditions.”

With the impetus from the hosting of Cricket World Cup 2007 in Guyana, the President urged that a concerted and determined national effort be made to enhance communities. “This issue is not just about aesthetics; it is also about good hygiene and pride in our country and we intend to pursue these goals through public education and the introduction of tougher laws and penalties,” the Guyanese Head of State declared. (Mark Ramotar/Guyana Cronicle)

The Police yesterday issued a wanted bulletin for Cyon Dielvon Collier, also known as ‘Picture Boy’, the alleged killer of brothers Ray Walcott nicknamed ‘Sugar’, 35 and Carl Andrews called ‘Alo’, 31.

The siblings were shot dead early last Saturday morning at Victoria, East Coast Demerara. Relatives of the two brothers said Collier and Alo were best friends since boyhood.

Police said Collier, of Lot 12 A’ Victoria, is 26, five feet eight inches tall, of medium build, dark complexion and has a scar to the right side of his nose.

Reports of the slaughter said a man, armed with an AK-47 and other guns blasted the victims to death about 02:30 h while they were spectators to a domino game at North Middle Walk Road in Victoria.

After the killing, the shooter ordered a mini-bus driver, at gunpoint, to drive him to Bare Root, another East Coast Demerara village.

A Police press release said anyone with information that might lead to the arrest of Collier is asked to call telephone numbers 225-6411, 226-1326, 225-2227, 225-3650, 226-2487, 226-2488, 229-2289, 229-2569 or 229-2700-2.

All information will be treated with strict confidentiality, the release stated. (Guyana Cronicle)

Man charged with fraud in Police horses deal

GREGORY Vanderstoop, 44, of Brighton, Corentyne, Berbice, has been charged with the fraudulent conversion of $1,021,800 he was allegedly given to buy animals for the Mounted Branch of the Guyana Police Force.

The accused faced the indictable charge before Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan yesterday and was remanded to prison until tomorrow, when he will make his next appearance in another court to which his case has been transferred.

Particulars of the offence said the prisoner fraudulently converted to his own use and benefit the money with which he was solely entrusted by Police Superintendent Bernard Lord, on August 15, 2005, in order that he may purchase and transport two thoroughbred horses from Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana.

But attorney-at-law Mr. Lance Ferreira, for Vanderstoop, produced some receipts in court as proof that the purchases were made but claimed that exporting the horses from Trinidad was a problem.

However, Police Inspector Maxine Graham, prosecuting, countered that the receipts did not prove the horses were bought for the force as they could belong to some other owner. The Prosecutor said the exportation could not have been problematic since last year and added that the Police had difficulty in arresting Vanderstoop. (Guyana Cronicle)

A store owner, planning for her son’s birthday today, was shot dead when two bandits rushed into her store just before noon in the heart of bustling Regent Street in Georgetown yesterday.

The cold-blooded killing of Shirool Persaud, 42, sent shock waves among other business people and shoppers and her stunned husband and store co-owner, Ajoda Persaud, also called Boyo, 50, said it was an attack he never expected.

“Daytime in Regent Street, these things don’t happen,” he shook his head in the aftermath of the attack, trying to come to terms with the devastating tragedy.

His wife was shot several times in the head and about the body while she tried to fight off the two bandits who struck while she was in the cashier’s cage and with employees around.

Persaud said the two fled with an undisclosed sum of money, the takings from the previous day’s sale at Boyo’s Variety Store.

The couple and their two children live at La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara.

Witnesses said that at about 11:40h, two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, entered the store and pretended they were customers while Shirool was in the cashier’s cage.

Customers and employees were forced to take cover when the gunmen struck, this newspaper understands.

Police in a press release said the man with the gun suddenly rushed into the cashier’s cage through the doorway and demanded cash. During the robbery, the man discharged several rounds hitting Shirool about the body.

This newspaper understands she tried to fend off her attackers and was shot at least four times in the head, chest and other parts of the body.

The two men then escaped on foot after grabbing an undisclosed sum of cash and a bag with documents, Police said. Five 9mm spent shells and two warheads were recovered at the scene.

Boyo told this newspaper he and his wife went to the Robb Street branch of Scotia Bank at about 09:30 h yesterday to do business but it was not a money transaction.

He said they returned to the store about 11:00 h and he went out again for another 20 minutes and then returned. He said he then took two of his employees and went into the storeroom to cut vinolay to place on shelves while his wife remained in the cashier’s cage. Boyo believes it might have been possible that he and his wife were followed from the bank since the bandits struck about one hour after they returned.

According to the distraught husband, he was at the back of the store when he heard his wife call out his name and this was followed by a gunshot. I heard my wife shout and call my name and then I heard the gunshot and I realized it was a robbery.”

Boyo said he hesitated and mere seconds later, another gunshot rang out and this forced him to run for cover and he hid in the toilet. I went into the washroom which was about five feet away from me and the other two girls ran upstairs,” he recounted.

He said this was followed by a few more shots before everything went quiet. I was traumatized by then and it took me a few minutes to come out.” But when he emerged, and rushed to his wife’s side and turned her over, the sight of the blood gushing from her head told him she was already dead.

Persons nearby said when the shooting ended, two men -- one short and slim with a hat pulled down in his face, and the other, a tall man who also had his hat pulled low in his face -- left the store and headed in an eastern direction.

One man said he saw the taller of the two put a gun in a bag and the duo calmly walked up the street. When they were in the vicinity of Kei-Shars store, they entered a gold coloured car and fled the scene, witnesses said.

Police stated that following the robbery, ranks in two mobile patrols, who were in the area, along with a third from the Brickdam Police Station, responded promptly to the report, but the two suspects managed to escape before their arrival.

According to Boyo, his wife was very kind and was always giving persons little gifts. Sometimes we would even quarrel because she always giving away things to persons,” he told the Guyana Chronicle last night. They were married about 16 years ago and have two children, Feroze who turns 11 today and nine-year old Aliyah. The father said telling the children about their mother’s death was not easy. “I told them what happened and they both watched at me and cried.”

He said they even questioned why he did not confront the bandits and he was forced to explain that had he done so, he too, might have been shot.

“It is a situation where these men come prepared and you are not, so they always have the upper hand,” he said.

Boyo described the relationship between his children and their mother as “throwing milk in porridge because you can’t separate the two.”

He recalled that whenever they travelled abroad on business, Shirool would always insist that she contact the children when she reached her destination. “It could be as far as China, she calling them to find out how was school,” he related.

He said his wife planned to spend very little time at the store yesterday since they were preparing food for people fasting this week at their village mosque as part of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan observance.

In addition, she was supposed to buy items to prepare to take to an orphanage to celebrate her son’s birthday today, as is customary, he said. The businessman said the tragedy was the “greatest shock” of his life since it happened at a time and in a place that was totally unexpected. Boyo urged the Police to have more patrols around the area to ensure that shoppers and business owners alike can feel safe.

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gerry Gouveia, left, and Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green at the scene

He said it was an affront to all law-abiding citizens and people on the streets now have to be very careful. He said the Police Force needs to focus its energies on issues like this.

According to Gouveia, the force needs air-borne facilities to be able to track the movement of criminals and deter crime. He recalled that members of the business community met Home Affairs Minister, Mr Clement Rohee Monday and the issue was raised. He said several recommendations were made and the GCCI intends to meet law enforcement agencies regularly.

“We are going to be proactive and follow up on issues that bother us,” he said, adding that they will not be sidelined since they want to be constructive in their engagement. Gouveia hopes the investigators do a thorough job and can produce needed results quickly. Shirool is to be buried tomorrow. (Shawnel Cudjoe/Guyana Cronicle)

The deceased is Camille DeJonge familiarly called ‘Millie’, a weeder employed by East Berbice Sugar Estates and Police have detained a suspect in connection with the murder.

A knife believed to be the weapon used in the killing was recovered at the crime scene. The lifeless body of the mother of two was discovered by one of her children who was attempting to awaken her.

Rayanne DeJonge, sister of the victim, said she went to the home after she got a telephone call. She said her sister had on only her underwear and there was a gaping wound to the right side of the neck.

The surviving sibling told the Guyana Chronicle a nephew reported that, before her death, his aunt had gone to Sunday horse racing at Alness, another Corentyne village.

He said, on her return home, the woman prepared her children’s uniforms and other things for the new school week.

Later, a married man with whom she had an affair visited her but her children did not know what transpired between their mother and the visitor as they went to bed.

He removed the sheet and pillow case in his attempt to arouse her but, on getting no response, rushed over to a neighbour who confirmed their worst fears.

Marjorie Green was overwhelmed with emotion as she lamented the cruel death of her friend of many years. “Millie did not deserve to die this way,” she said, sobbing.

A Police source said the woman was stabbed and a wound, of between three and four inches long, was inflicted on her.

Camille DeJonge leaves to mourn also seven siblings. She was the fourth of eight children born to Phyllis DeJonge, a well-known Georgetown-based newspaper vendor, who died in May. (Guyana Cronicle/JEUNE BAILEY VAN-KERIC)

Terror reigned in Victoria early yesterday morning when a man turned his weapon on two brothers – one of them his best friend - cutting them down in the prime of their lives.

Carl Graper Andrews, called ‘Alo’, 31, the gunman’s best friend, and his brother Ray Samuels Walcott called ‘Sugar’, 35, were shot dead around 2:30 h yesterday while they were looking on at a game of dominoes on the North Victoria Middle Walk Road.

Walcott received gunshot wounds to his back and forehead, while Andrews was shot in his back and hand. Witnesses said Andrews attempted to escape by jumping over a nearby fence and hiding behind a water tank in a yard, but the killer followed to ensure that he was dead. He then returned “and finish Sugar off”, a source said.

‘This boy and ‘Alo’ were friends from since when they were small… They were best friends from school. They grow together, eat together… best friends… they grow together from little, little children.’ The dead men’s mother, Joan Andrews

Carl Andrews’ fiancée, Asanta Gill, and their two-year-old daughter Princess.

The statement said the man suddenly pulled out a firearm and discharged several shots at the two men, which struck them about their bodies.

Police said the men were taken to the Georgetown Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The motor cycle is in police custody and six spent 7.62 shells were recovered at the scene.

Parents Joan and Godfrey Andrews with their daughters Kim and Camille sitting with Andrews’ seven-year-old son Shakeem.

When the Sunday Chronicle visited the area yesterday morning, there was an unusual calmness and one could have sensed that something was amiss in the East Coast village. Bloodstains and body parts were evident at the spot where they were shot. At the home of the dead men’s parents, Joan and Godfrey Andrews, relatives and friends had already gathered to express their sympathy.

Theories abound on the double killing

Mrs. Andrews said Carl had told her some three months ago that his best friend was doing a lot of wrong things and that he is thinking of severing the friendship. She believes her son was murdered because he knew too much about the killer.

“My son told me the guy was doing a lot of wrong things and he will pull out of his company,” she recalled. Mrs. Andrews said the man accused of killing them was a frequent visitor at her home.

“This boy and Alo were friends from since when they were small… They were best friends from school. They grow together, eat together… best friends… they grow together from little, little children,” the woman said, still in a state of shock.

Mrs. Andrews said she always welcomed her son’s friend into her home as if he is one of her own and never expected him to commit such brutal acts on her children. She said her third child, Ray, lives not far away and would visit frequently, while Carl lives with her and other siblings. The woman said she last saw Carl around 7:30h Friday when he left for work.

She said she was asleep around 3:00 h yesterday when her nephew came knocking at her door. The woman said she opened her door, only to be greeted with the shocking news. Another theory doing the rounds is that a heated argument ensued over a game of cards the men were playing at a popular gambling spot, when the gunman pulled his weapon and shot his friends.

Villagers also relate that the younger Andrews and the suspect reportedly had a misunderstanding over a stolen gun and that may have triggered the murderous act.

Walcott’s pregnant wife, Esther, said she and her husband were watching a DVD movie ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed’ when he started crying suddenly. She said she asked him why he was crying and he told her “nothing”. It was then that he said he wanted two cigarettes and asked her for $60 to make the purchase.

The woman said she refused, but he nevertheless left to get them. About half an hour later, she later heard gunshots.

The couple has four children, and Esther is seven months pregnant. She related to the Sunday Chronicle that she felt a sudden pain in her belly earlier that evening and was lying on her bed when she got the terrible news from her mother. She said she could not believe and immediately ran to the roadside where she saw her husband of five years slumped in a pool of blood, lifeless. She said she cried bitterly.

Walcott leaves to mourn his father, five siblings, and four children Ashawna 12, Noel 10, Adiel 5, and Beyonce 3. Meanwhile, Andrew’s fiancé, Asanta Gill, said she was sleeping at her Haslington home around 3:00 h when she received the dreaded phone call from her mother-in-law. She said she ran out her house and rode past several villages to Victoria, where her worst fears were confirmed.

Though she was not allowed to see her fiance’s body, she saw her brother-in-law lifeless in a pool of blood. With puffy eyes she said Andrews had spent hours at her house talking with her and her two-year-old daughter, Princess, and left around 20:30 h Friday. Around midnight, he called her saying he only wanted to hear her voice again.

The two met three years ago while she was pregnant with her daughter, whom he adopted as his own, and they shared a wonderful relationship, she said. She said the suspect had started leading him astray, encouraging him to start drinking alcohol and misbehaving. Andrews also has a seven-year-old son Shakeem. He broke into tears when he heard of his father’s demise.

Up to late yesterday, villagers and relatives of the slain men were still in shock over the incident and expressed disappointment since such incidents never occurred there. “This has certainly put a stain on Victoria…this never happened here before,” one resident exclaimed. He said it is even more shocking to know that the men were murdered by one of their closest friends.

“These guys were like brothers. They used to live at each other’s house. They were best friends since childhood,” the resident said .A hunt is on for the gunman. (Guyana Cronicle)

Businessman found dead on Anna Regina Market Street

The lifeless body of 32-year-old businessman Parmanand Sukhai also known as ‘Norman’ of Richmond Housing Scheme on the Essequibo Coast was discovered in a pool of blood early yesterday morning on the Anna Regina Market Street, a short distance away from the police station.

Reports reaching the Sunday Chronicle stated that Sukhai, who originally belonged to the East Coast Demerara, rented a house a few months ago in the housing scheme where he lived with his wife and two children. This newspaper understands that the businessman was last seen on Friday at the Anna Regina Market selling carpentry tools and other hardware materials.

The man’s reputed wife, Linda Caslestro, told this newspaper that her husband left home early Friday morning to sell in the market and returned home around 17:00 h and left some two hours later to go back to the market. According to Caslestro, she never saw her husband alive again.

Some residents living along the Anna Regina Market Street said it is suspected that Sukhai and some other men were fighting around midnight after consuming alcohol. There were chops on the businessman’s arms, shoulders and other parts of the body. It is believed that he bled to death.

Another young man was also found seriously injured in another street in Anna Regina. His body also bore chop wounds. Police have since held three persons in connection with the murder including the injured man. (Guyana Cronicle)

Cops go public on strippers

The Police Force yesterday went public on the case of the Brazilian strippers charged with indecency in Georgetown, saying their arrest was part of a wider campaign against “unlawful activities”.

In a statement issued after the women again appeared in court, the Police Force said it wished “to place on record the facts relating to the arrest of the five Brazilian women, which seems to have stirred the interest of certain sections of the media.”

They said the five charged with allegedly stripping in the Red Dragon Sports Bar in the city, were doing so in an illegal establishment, one of many they have raided over the past months in a continuing operation.

Aurelaide DeSouza, Maria Karlene CaVodoso, Patricia Conarata DeSilva, Kenis DeSausa Paira and Cristyelen Barros Primienta, appeared in court again yesterday and Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys set a trial date of November 3.

Placed before the courts under a charge of committing an indecent act, for dancing and stripping in the club, the women had earlier pleaded not guilty and were first remanded, before being later released on $35,000 bail.

The Police, in a statement yesterday, said neither the women nor their lawyers produced any evidence of them having lawfully entered the country, and they later preferred the relevant charges which have since been reviewed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“Prior to charges being laid against the five women, the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions was sought in relation to offences established. Based on this advice the women were charged for doing an indecent act contrary to section 354 (a) of the Criminal Law Offences Act, Chapter 8:01,” the Police said.

The women were required to lodge their passports with the court to verify they were not illegal here, but according to their attorney, Mr. Anil Nandalall, the person who was keeping their passports has fled to Brazil and as such they have applied to the Brazilian Embassy here for new passports.

After he raised objections to the particular charge under which the women were brought before the court, Nandalall argued that new charges should have been read yesterday, but said this was not done.

The Police said the September 8 raid on the Red Dragon Sports Bar was one of many operations “aimed at checking on unlawful activities, including unlicensed premises where music and dancing activities are being conducted.”

Consequent upon these operations over the past months, Police said more than 22 places of entertainment were checked and so far 13 businessmen and women have been charged and placed before the courts.

Raymond Alli, who operates Red Dragon and lives above the bar, was found not to be in possession of the relevant music and dancing licence and was charged for this, Police reported. Police said he appeared before Magistrate Gilhuys on September 12, pleaded not guilty and the matter is continuing.

But Nandalall, commenting on what the Police said, claimed that Alli possessed a licence to operate a hotel, and inherent in that licence is permission to operate a bar. “He has a licence to operate a hotel, and as such, my respectful position is that he is not required by law to have another licence, with respect to dancing and playing of music because that is subsumed by the hotel licence,” Nandalall said.

The Police said their work is continuing and “if offences of any nature are detected, they will be dealt with accordingly.” (Guyana Cronicle; photo:webred.)

Police trying to battle

Guyana passports nightmare

Guyana is in an all-out bid to shake off a passports nightmare which has prompted calls for urgent action from Barbados Immigration officials, acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene said yesterday.

Barbados Chief Immigration Officer, Gilbert Greaves, has appealed to authorities here to scrutinize the distribution of new passports to Guyanese after evidence surfaced that the travel documents are being misused by people trying to sneak back into the island after being deported.

In an article in the Barbados Nation newspaper yesterday, he said the frequency of illegal passports from this country was creating a nightmare for his department, especially at the Grantley Adams International Airport. "It's a very common occurrence and it is far too high. I think that the authorities concerned ought to be able to find some way of stemming this particular activity," he told the newspaper.

Greaves singled out nationals of Guyana as the main offenders, adding it was causing immense pressure on his airport department. "We find that persons go down (return to Guyana) and change their names and get a new document and come back in. What we are seeing here suggests that something needs to be done", he said. He said indications suggested there was a loophole in the Guyana immigration system which has responsibility for processing passports.

"The authorities must look at that situation and the ease with which people can get replacement passports on whatever grounds and obtain other people's documents," he said. Greaves said there were several instances where people caught admitted they bought the illegal passport from someone else.

Mr Greene yesterday acknowledged that the Guyana Police Force is aware of the illegal practice with the use of false travel documents and said it is in an all-out bid to stamp it out. Categorically stating that he is not defending the Immigration Department, the Commissioner pointed out that persons have been nabbed using false travel documents, not only in Barbados, but other countries as well. But according to him, there are several factors which work against their efforts.

One such, he pointed out, is that a passenger in an effort to beat the local system, would use a genuine passport to travel from Guyana so as to get past immigration officers here, and once aboard the aircraft, switch the document and use a forged one to facilitate entry to the intended destination.

These forged documents have been found to contain false entry and exit stamps from ports of entry so as to deceive, Greene told the Guyana Chronicle. He explained, though, that once a Guyanese national is deported, having been found with false documents, the preference is to press charges while the genuine passport is withheld from the holder for in some cases even for six months.

Additionally, those detected in the initial stages of trying to beat the system are also hauled before the courts, he said. But, the Commissioner stressed, the perpetrators invariably would not disclose who are the other parties involved so that the Police can take appropriate action and have them prosecuted.

Another, it was pointed out, is when an applicant submits an application for a passport, the basic requirements are two passport size photographs along with a birth certificate.

And, while immigration officers do carry out stringent checks to ascertain whether the applicant was previously issued with a travel document, the officers are at a disadvantage in that there is no mechanism in place in which a positive match can be made with the applicant, and the photograph submitted, with the name on the birth document.

However, should there be any suspicion regarding the submission of a birth certificate, double checks are made with the General Registrar’s Office, through which such documents are processed, the Commissioner further explained.

It was pointed out too, that in the absence of a birth certificate, a National Identification Card is required, and a family member or a Justice of Peace is asked to positively ID the individual. But it has been found that even the latter arrangements have been fraught with problems. Anticipation is, however, high that with the soon to come on stream machine-readable passports, attempts to beat the system would be easily detected, a source told the Guyana Chronicle.

The Barbados Chief Immigration Officer also defended his department from charges of wrongdoing, stating he was satisfied with the performance of those who managed affairs at the airport. "At the airport we expect people to act with propriety. I am not at the desk to know when a chap is wrongdoing, but if we find people doing wrong we take whatever action we consider necessary at the times", Greaves told the Nation newspaper.

He urged the public, including non-nationals, to bring any complaints of impropriety directly to his office. "I am not saying people won't do wrong from time to time, but let anybody who's got the evidence come forward and name the people", he challenged. (Wendella Davidson/Guyana Cronicle)

Death sentence for bones in pit accused

The Berbice man accused of killing his wife and burning her body in a pit aback their house two years ago, was yesterday found guilty and sentenced to death. After deliberating for just over two hours, the mixed jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty against Davenand Tilaknauth, nicknamed ‘Fine Boy’.

The jury found that he killed his wife, Chandrawattie Ramnarine, and burnt her body in a pit behind their home at Hampshire Village, Corentyne, on July 13, 2004. Asked by Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards what he had to say before the death sentence was imposed, the convicted man replied, “I am innocent of this charge.”

Following his statement, the Court Marshal told those in the courtroom to stand in silence as the death sentence was passed over the prisoner.

Imposing the death penalty, Justice Cummings-Edwards said, “The sentence of the court upon you is that you be taken from this place to a lawful prison and thence to a place of execution and that you suffer death by hanging, and that your body be afterwards buried in the precincts of the prison in which you shall have been confined before your execution. And may the Lord have mercy on your soul.”

As the sentence was passed, the prisoner showed no signs of emotion, and his relatives present remained silent. Nine witnesses testified for the State at the trial which began on September 5 last. During the hearing at the New Amsterdam Court, Defence Counsel Compton Richardson had challenged a statement attributed to the accused, on the ground that it was not given freely and voluntarily, and was obtained with violence to the prisoner and threats of violence by persons in authority.

Following three days of submissions from lawyers for the State and the defence, the Judge ruled that the Judge’s rule was not breached and the document was admitted in evidence. The statement which was written by Detective Sergeant Eustace McCammon, records the accused admitting to pushing his wife into a fiery pit, behind their house.

Tilaknauth denied that he killed his wife because she was having an affair with another man. The State Counsel was Donelle Harding. (Jeune Bailey Van-Keric/Guyana Cronicle)

Three years after being attacked and seriously injured by gunmen in front of his Lot 254 Montrose, East Coast Demerara home, Gopaul Mohan called `Bobby' was killed on Tuesday night in his pub by one of two men who had earlier been his customers.

During the ten-minute ordeal at Bobby's Hang Out Bar, the bandits beat Mohan's waitress with a Guinness bottle and the man who had shot Mohan in the forehead jumped over the bar counter and pumped several more bullets into the 42-year-old man's body. After the shooting the two men grabbed the day's sales, some $40,000 from a drawer.

Yesterday at the businessman's home, which is located alongside the pub, loud wails were heard as many of his friends and family congregated to express their grief at the tragedy. The police last evening said that ten .32 spent shells were found at the scene.

The execution is one of a string of similar ones on the East Coast where the plan appears to have been to kill rather than escape with a large amount of money. A cousin of the slain man told this newspaper that two young men had gone to the establishment and bought drinks. Apart from the two of them she said, about two other customers were there. The woman who gave her name as Sherry said one of the young men later ordered a Guinness.

"Business was so bad that they decided to close up around 8.30 pm. The waitress started to lock up while Mohan packed some drinks in a refrigerator in the bar." She said that during this time the two men were allowed to stay to finish their drinks.

Sherry added that Mohan's wife, Shoma, who was also packing drinks, left and went home to use the washroom. It was at this point that one of the two men approached Mohan and told him that they wanted another round which was refused.

Sherry said Shoma heard the commotion as she exited the toilet and was going back to the shop when she heard the first shot. According to the woman, after shooting Mohan, the gunman jumped over the counter and continued shooting him while the other man started beating the waitress. "They grab the drawer from in the bar with $40,000. They dropped all the $20 bills as they came out." The waitress managed to get away and conceal herself a short distance away.

According to Sherry, following the shooting the men, headed in the direction of the seawall then turned east. "His wife told me that these two men came three to four times in the last week. But she didn't take it for nothing because people does come from all over and drink at this spot." She said Mohan and his wife have been in business at that location for about 15 years, but it was only two years ago that it was built to its present state. Sherry said she received a call shortly after the shooting and sent her uncle to the scene.

"He was already gone. He was shot in the middle of his forehead. His body had about nine bullets. No neighbour didn't even come out to help him ...People in this neighbourhood don't like him because of this business." Sherry recalled a previous shooting incident involving Mohan. It was on October 23, 2003 around 4.50 am after Mohan had left his Montrose home to go and purchase fish at Meadow Bank, East Bank Demerara. During this period Mohan was a fish vendor as well as a shop owner.

While he was heading to the public road to catch a bus, Mohan observed two men dressed in black who had come from behind a parked truck. They started walking towards him. A few minutes later they cornered him near his home and he emptied his pockets giving them all his money. While his attackers were busy with the money, Mohan scaled his fence but not before the men opened fire on him. He was hit three times and landed on the concrete inside his yard.

One of the bandits fired another shot even as Mohan was lying in a pool of blood. "He spent two months in hospital," Sherry said. "All his intestines were damaged and he had to have surgery to fix it." She said his children had witnessed the first shooting.

Returning to the current incident, she said the police arrived shortly after and took fingerprints from the bottles the two men were drinking from. They also took the bottle that was used to beat the waitress, she said. Right now, Sherry said, she is trying to stay strong for the family.

Mohan leaves to mourn his wife, Shoma, two children, Anil 14 and eight-year-old Sheia and many other relatives and friends. (Stabroek News/Zoisa Fraser)

A teenaged girl who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend to death during a domestic scuffle was yesterday refused bail when she appeared before Magis-trate Melissa Robertson-Ogle at the Georgetown Magist-rate's Court.

Shelly Patrick, 19, of 12A Queen Street, South Cummingsburg was not required to plead to the capital charge of murder. It is alleged that on September 17 at Georgetown she murdered Jimmy Carter. Appearing on behalf of Patrick was attorney-at-law Mark Waldron who asked the court for the Preliminary Inquiry to begin expeditiously.

Waldron told the court that he was reliably informed that the police were supposed to take the file to the DPP for advice and was quite surprised to hear that they did not do so and had charged his client with the capital offence.

On the night his client was taken into custody, he said, she went to a medical practitioner. He stated he had told the police that his information was that there was a fight and they should be advised what the charge should be. He asked that the police forward the file to the DPP for advice.

Patrick's left eye was black and blue when she appeared in court. The prosecutor in response stated that they could not just take the file to the DPP since they have to go through a process. Patrick is expected to return to court on October 16. (Stabroek News)

After six years of a relationship dogged by jealousy and abuse a 19-year-old girl lost her cool on Sunday night and stabbed her 25-year-old boyfriend to death.

Jimmy Carter of Cemetery Road, Lodge sustained a stab wound to his heart and was left to die on a street in Tiger Bay before being transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital by police, where he was pronounced dead. Police have since arrested the young woman who has a three-year-old daughter with Carter.

Relatives said both parties' bodies bear the evidence of physical scars - testimony to their tumultuous union and their parents bemoaned their insensitivity of not heeding their advice. Yesterday relatives of both Carter and the teenager lamented the tragedy, but they all admitted that they had tried their best to separate the couple. "But nobody wants to leave although they could not get along," the teenager's mother commented yesterday.

Police said in a statement that they have commenced investigations into the incident, which occurred around 10:45 on Sunday night at Queen Street, Tiger Bay, Georgetown. According to the police, investigations have so far revealed that Carter and the woman had an argument. It is alleged that during the misunderstanding he dealt the woman several blows about her body and she retaliated by stabbing him to the left side of his chest with a knife.

The police said Carter was taken to the Georgetown Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Wendy Boodhoo, one of the dead man's siblings told Stabroek News yesterday that her brother and the 19-year-old woman never got along, although they had a child. She said Carter and the teenager had a number of scars on their bodies most of which were inflicted during their numerous fights. "They always used to fight and quarrel, but dem ain't leaving each other," Boodhoo remarked.

She said that it was only on Friday the woman allegedly chopped Carter on his wrist and also punctured him in his back. She said despite this Carter continued to be with the woman.

It is not clear what caused the woman to chop Carter on his wrist on Friday, but reports are that he had accused the woman of having another man. "He ain't want she go anywhere. She can't walk the streets, he was a very jealous man," the young woman's mother said.

Stabroek News was told that the couple had numerous fights and quarrels, some of which took place in public transportation and at bus parks. Reports are that following the chopping on Friday, Carter and the teenager were uneasy around each other. However, to compound the matter, someone apparently told him that the young woman was seen hanging out with another man and this made him jealous. Boodhoo said that on Sunday Carter returned home after a night out Saturday.

While he was at home, the young lady telephoned him and asked him to visit her. Boodhoo said Carter's mother warned him not to go, drawing his attention to the chop on his wrist and the puncture to his back. However, his mother subsequently left the house and Carter went away.

Boodhoo said that from all indications Carter had a few drinks and he was under the influence of alcohol when he confronted his lover later that night.

Friends of the dead man recalled seeing him and his teenage lover at a downtown restaurant earlier Sunday night quarrelling. "I see the two of them, Carter show me his hands saying that he girl violated him," one friend told Stabroek News. The friend said he sensed that something was amiss, but he was not too bothered since the couple frequently quarrelled and had many violent encounters in the past.

Leaving the restaurant on Sunday night, Carter and the woman headed for Tiger Bay where the woman lives. Residents recalled seeing the two of them hugging each other as they walked down the street. But as soon as Carter escorted the young lady to her doorway he began hurling derogatory remarks at her and an argument ensued.

Residents said both parties traded dirty remarks at each other during which time Carter allegedly slapped and cuffed the teen several times in her face. This was happening in full view of scores of persons who had gathered on Queen Street, Tiger Bay watching on.

The teenager's mother said she was upstairs when she heard the commotion. She said when she checked she saw Carter beating away at her daughter. The young woman's mother said she did not intervene, but she overheard residents who were looking on saying, "Boy you can't beat that girl in front of her mother."

At the same time the girl's mother said, the couple's three-year-old daughter was at the edge of the step and almost fell over. She said she snatched the child and went inside.

Not long after, her daughter ran upstairs, grabbed a knife and confronted Carter. She stabbed him to his heart. The 25-year-old minibus conductor clung to his chest and ran towards Main Street. But before getting there he collapsed.

The teenager, still holding her bloodied knife, ran behind him. One resident said that she recalled hearing the woman telling Carter as he lay bleeding, "Buddy get up. I didn't stab you hard. Stop behaving so." Carter never got up until the police turned up and transported him to the hospital.

Boodhoo said her brother's life could have been saved if the people of Tiger Bay were a bit more caring. She said despite his aggressive nature, residents should not have left him to die without rendering assistance. The attacker's mother echoed the same sentiments, noting that if she weren't so taken up with preserving the couple's child's life she would have ensured that there was no casualty.

The attacker's mother said Carter had been with her daughter for close to six years now. As far as she was concerned the two were not together and she often encouraged Carter to move on with his life. The woman said Carter had ruined her only child's life and Carter's family said the same thing about the attacker. Carter leaves to mourn both of his parents and seven siblings three of whom reside overseas. (Stabroek News/Nigel Williams)

Montrose refused bail again

The individual charged with the robbing Seeram’s Jewellery on Church Street,while armed with a gun was again refused bail by magistrate Gordon Gilhuys on Friday last.

Damien Montrose, 25, was charged with robbing the store of over $11M in jewellery, cash and five Guyana passports on August 26, 2006, and also with relieving the store’s security guard of a .38 Taurus revolver and six rounds of matching ammunition.

Attorney-at-law Ronald Burch-Smith renewed his bail application but was again unsuccessful. He said on Friday that his client had a fixed place of abode at 75 D’Urban Street and would be sure to attend court for his trial.

Police Inspector, Maxine Graham, prosecuting, asked that bail be refused because the address Counsel initially gave for Montrose was Plantain Walk, West Bank Demerara. She also made reference to the substantial amount that was allegedly stolen, noting too that a firearm was used in committing the offence.

The court ruled in favour of Graham’s submissions and remanded Montrose to prison. His matter comes up again on November 9. Odetta Gordon, 30, of 304 Buzz-A-Bee Dam, Craig, East Bank Demerara, was however granted $35, 000 bail. She was charged with receiving some of the articles that Montrose allegedly stole. (Guyana Cronicle)

The Guyana Prison Service yesterday issued a wanted bulletin for prisoner Tony Calderia of the Georgetown Prison who escaped on September 6 while he was working in an outdoor party.

The bulletin said that Calderia is considered dangerous.

The last known address of the prison escapee, who is also known as Anthony, is Angoys Avenue and Charles Place in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Calderia can contact the nearest Police Station or the Prison Service on telephone numbers 333-3658, 333-2705, 226-5855, 226-5856, 226-8310, 226-8301, and 225-6003. (Stabroek News)

Ectokpah was walking along Crown Street when the two men rode up on a bicycle. He was held at gunpoint and relieved of a gold chain valued $45,000 and a bag containing documents, Police said. The victim put up some resistance and the man with the bicycle escaped while Ectokpah pursued the other with the firearm on foot along Crown Street.

Police said the pursuit ended up in the Eping Avenue/Duncan Street area in nearby Bel Air Park, where public-spirited persons joined in and eventually caught up with the suspected bandit who was handed over to cops on patrol.

An unlicensed .32 Taurus revolver with six matching rounds were recovered and the suspect in custody will be charged shortly, Police said. (Guyana Cronicle)

He claimed he was kidnapped by U.S. agents from a jail in Suriname, flown to Trinidad and then to New York where he has since been in jail and is challenging his arrest and subsequent airlifting to the U.S.

Khan last week had charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and misconduct in public office filed, on his behalf, in a Trinidad court against two Trinidad government officials and a top ranking U.S. embassy agent in the Caribbean twin-island republic in relation to his handing over into U.S. custody.

One of his U.S.-based attorneys, Mr. Robert Simmels, in a telephone conversation with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, said District Judge Dora Lizzette Irizarry, who presides at the U.S. Eastern District Court on Tillary Street and before whom Khan was due to reappear, has “because of a number of matters”, rescheduled the hearing to October 18.

Simmels also told this newspaper of his disgust at being unable to procure some much-needed information in relation to the case from the prosecution.

Citing the Grand Jury indictment on which Khan was spirited off to the U.S. from Trinidad where he landed by aircraft after being expelled from Suriname, Simmels said he is trying unsuccessfully to find out from the prosecution, “who (the names of the persons) he did this with and the dates” he allegedly conspired to import the cocaine.

He said in the absence of this information, he sees no way in which the U.S. has any contention against his client and his (Khan’s) presence in court could be five minutes or five dates.

Simmels also said that it is not unusual, according to the U.S. system, for charges to be made in advance against persons and for a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent to “go and testify and say Mr `X’ told me…”

Contending that the U.S Government has little to offer against the imprisoned Guyanese businessman, Simmels surmised that if it had evidence, the U.S. would have, instead of “what attempts to kidnapping” his client from Trinidad, filed papers with the Guyana Government to have him extradited.

“Instead, they used Trinidad as a shortcut and just brought him away here,” said the attorney, who visited Khan as recent as Thursday. He felt Khan “would be out of jail and be back from where he came”. The attorney made reference of the legal motion filed in a Trinidad court in which Gary Tuggle, head of the U.S. DEA in Trinidad, David West, the head of the Extradition Department in the Trinidad Attorney General Chambers, and Stephen Sookram, a Trinidadian Immigration Officer, have been served with notice to answer the charges in the Arima Magistrates Court on December 8.

Three charges were laid in the Arima Magistrates Court on September 7, with Sherman Ramoutar, an attorney for Khan, as the complainant. In the first instance, all three men are charged with false imprisonment, for having, on June 29 last, unlawfully and injuriously imprisoning Khan and detaining him against his will.

The second charge of kidnapping, or “unlawfully and by force and fraud” taking and carrying Khan against his will, was also filed against all three men. In the third charge, only West and Sookram are named for misconduct in public office, “by unlawfully and injuriously imprisoning” Khan.

A local attorney for Khan said that after the Guyanese businessman was expelled from Suriname, he was descending the stairs of the Suriname Airways aircraft at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad when he was taken by Sookram.

The Immigration Officer then took him to Tuggle, who saw him into an SUV and then into a private jet to the U.S. where he is now in custody. The lawyer said, too, charges were filed against West also, because he was the intellectual author of the events that transpired in Trinidad.

Khan, along with three ex-Guyanese policemen - Paul Rodrigues, Sean Belfield and Lloyd Roberts - who served as his bodyguards, and some Surinamese nationals were nabbed in what police in the neighbouring country said was a huge drug bust that netted 213 kilos of cocaine on June 15 in Paramaribo.

However, while the other Guyanese remain incarcerated in separate jails and have still not been charged, Khan was expelled from the country on June 29, after the authorities there said they had no charges against him. The Guyana Chronicle has been unable to garner any information on the Surinamese nationals who were reportedly held at the same time.

Khan was flown out from Suriname although that country’s Minister of Justice, Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, had publicly linked him to plots to assassinate key government and judicial officials in that country and had deemed him a threat to national and international security.

Santokhi had also told reporters that Khan, for about two years before, was in addition being investigated for cocaine trafficking, firearm possession and being part of a criminal gang. Less than 24 hours after he was nabbed in Trinidad, Khan was arraigned at the Brooklyn Federal Court in New York before Judge Roanne Mann on a charge of “conspiring to import cocaine”.

With Simmels in defence of Khan in the U.S. is Florida-based attorney John Bergendahl. (Wendella Davidson/Guyana Cronicle)

Gunmen fire on top rice official’s house

Gunmen early yesterday morning shot at the Georgetown house of a top rice industry official who said he had no clue about what was behind the attack.

About seven shots were fired at the Prashad Nagar home of Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) General Manager, Mr. Jagnarine Singh causing damage to the windows and walls.

Singh, of Lot 313 Rohinital Street, Prashad Nagar, told this newspaper that around 01:00 h, he was awakened by the sound of glass shattering. He said that at the same time his wife got up to go to the bathroom and noticed that a bulb was broken. He said she passed this information to him and as he was cleaning up the glass, he noticed that the chandelier at the front of his house was also damaged.

Upon further inspection, Singh said he discovered his front walls and glass windows were also damaged. He said the Police were summoned around 01:15 h and responded promptly to the crime scene.

Security guard Mr. Dennis Tappin, 59, who was on duty, said that around 00:50 h, he noticed a light coloured vehicle going north along the street. The guard said it appeared as though the occupant(s) threw fire crackers at the house before speeding along. It was only when Singh told him of the damage to the house, did he realise bullets had been fired, he said.

Singh said he was unaware of any reason people may have for wanting to harm him. “I have no clue. I’ve been trying to figure out who I’ve had a problem with,” he told this newspaper. He said damage to the house was about $70,000. None of the six persons in the house at the time was wounded and about seven shots were fired. Police said four warheads were recovered from the scene. (Guyana Cronicle)

Elderly woman dies after sexual assault

Police hold four young men

Police on the Essequibo Coast have arrested four young men of Bounty Hall Village following the death of a woman in her late 60s. Relatives said the old woman was found last weekend on the Bounty Hall public road, unconscious and bleeding profusely from her private parts.

She was taken to the Charity Hospital then to Suddie Hospital before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where she later died. Sources said the four men were arrested after news broke of the woman’s death.

The sexagenarian who lived with her husband at Better Hope, also on the Essequibo Coast, had attended a wedding at West Bury when she was lured from the place of reception by a man in a drunken state to a dark dam and was sexually assaulted. Recently, several young men attacked a young man and his wife on the Bounty Hall public road. (Guyana Cronicle)

Ranks of the Custom Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) yesterday afternoon swooped on a notorious drug yard on Alexander Street, Lacytown arresting four persons including a woman and seizing a quantity of marijuana and a small amount of cocaine. However, no sooner had the officers departed than business resumed as regulars secured their fixes.

An official of CANU told Stabroek News last evening that the operation was part of their enforcement duties. He said other places were raided yesterday and more people arrested. The official could not quantify the amount of cocaine and marijuana seized during the operations, but hinted that charges are likely to be laid today against those caught.

The one and a half hour operation was watched by scores of market vendors, school children and other persons who converged on both sides of the street. CANU officers decked out in blue t-shirts with the acronym CANU emblazoned at the back took up defensive positions in and around the house as other ranks searched the property.

One man told Stabroek News that the Alexander Street premises was one of the notorious drug houses in the city. He said that on a daily basis, scores of addicts as well as persons with high standing in society would go to the yard and purchase cannabis and cocaine. The man said however, that while the sellers would trade large amounts of marijuana they do not do the same with cocaine.

"Young men would come and drop off the stuff [cocaine] to them boys in the yard and they would sell it back to the man on the streets," the man said. He believes the cocaine is supplied by established drug dealers who have employed the men as pushers. While at the scene yesterday, this newspaper observed a number of well-dressed young men enter the yard soon after the raid by CANU and then leave with small packages.

During that time also, at least three men who are often seen on the streets begging alms went into the yard to purchase drugs. According to reports, some of the drug addicts are usually sent by so-called respected persons to buy the drugs for them. "Some of the decent ones in society, they don't want to go into the yard so dem sending the junkies dem," one man commented.

For the short period this newspaper was outside the yard, one particular drug addict was seen going into the yard to purchase drugs three times. Some residents of the drug yard said that they were law-abiding citizens who did not know anything of the men's activities.

Stabroek News was told that the CANU ranks arrived on the scene some time after 4 pm yesterday. Officers quickly encircled the yard and commanded everyone inside to stand still. A few young men who were passing on the road at the time were hauled into the yard and were searched by the ranks.

Inside the yard at the back, where the drug pushers have erected a small shack to do their business CANU ranks upturned benches and searched under mattresses for the prohibited substances. When the operation was completed there was a ruckus in front of the yard. A group of women who apparently have ties with the drug dealers were berating another woman who they accused of tipping off the lawmen. Tempers flared as the ladies hurled derogatory remarks at each other in the presence of school children some of whom were theirs.

One vendor said she was not against CANU conducting the raid, but she felt they should go after the big drug dealers. The woman said the drug business on Alexander Street has been going on for years. She observed that the dealers have opened up a small shop, selling rum and other things as a front for their illegal trade. On both sides of the drug yard a thriving scrap iron business is being carried out.

President Bharrat Jagdeo had in the past called on the police to clean out some of the many drug houses in the country. (Stabroek News)

The reform of the Guyana Police Force has commenced, President Bharrat Jagdeo said yesterday. And he insisted at a press conference, despite the many criticisms, that former New York Commissioner of Police, Bernard Kerik would be hired to lead the process.

The President also echoed the recent sentiments of Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, that the US government needs to put more assistance into fighting drug trafficking in Guyana and the region.

Several persons have criticized government's plan to hire Kerik especially since he admitted an ethics violation, is currently being investigated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and has had a number of questions raised about his general conduct.

But Jagdeo said the former NY police chief was competent and that is what he wants. He told reporters yesterday at State House that Kerik would work along with the Scottish Police who have made a number of proposals for the reform of the force, and with the top leadership of the Police Force.

The President had met Kerik, who was US President George W. Bush's nominee to serve as Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, earlier this year. Kerik withdrew after questions were raised about his suitability for the post. Jagdeo made public his intention to hire Kerik on August 10.

Kerik had served in the US Army, the DEA and was Police Commissioner in New York during the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Asked yesterday whether Kerik would be paid by the state the President declined to answer. He had indicated earlier that Kerik's firm is being contracted under the US$20M citizens security plan being funded by a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The IDB has since issued two press releases on this matter. The first said that the bank was not funding Kerik's work here and the second said he could be funded if his firm went through competitive tendering. Sources say if the IDB does not fund Kerik's mission it is unclear how his work will interface with the IDB project.

A New York Daily News article posted on August 4 had noted that the FBI is investigating Kerik's involvement in a charity that was secretly run out of the city Corrections Department when he served as its commissioner.

Agents are looking into what happened to some US$1M in rebates - from cigarettes bought for sale to inmates - that was diverted to the accounts of the Correc-tions Foundation. The Daily News said the rebates went into city coffers until Kerik became president of the foundation in 1995.

When the Daily News had asked Kerik in early 2003 about irregularities in the foundation's financial records, he said he knew nothing about its finances and directed questions to his treasurer, Frederick Patrick, a deputy police commissioner. Patrick eventually pleaded guilty to pilfering US$137,733 from the foundation and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. He has since been released. News of the federal probe came a month after Kerik pleaded guilty to two misdemeanours.

Kerik admitted that in 1999 he had accepted US$165,000 in free renovations to his Bronx apartment from a city contractor under investigation for alleged mob ties. The former police chief and his attorney, Joseph Tacopina, said then that the plea had brought to a close investigations that had begun based on a series of news articles in late 2004, after President Bush had nominated Kerik to become the nation's director of Homeland Security.

Greene briefed

Meanwhile, Jagdeo said yesterday that he has already briefed Acting Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene about his intention to hire Kerik. "I briefed the commissioner. I said to him that you would play a role," Jagdeo declared to the media.

Questions have been raised about Greene's suitability as Commissioner since the US Embassy recently revoked both his diplomatic and visitor's visas on allegations that he has benefited materially from the drug trade. Greene for his part denied the allegations while asserting that he has always upheld the rule of law. Jagdeo had said he would not act against Greene until the US provides the specifics of the allegations. The US has not done so.

Yesterday Jagdeo deflected a question as to whether he would go ahead with Greene as commissioner. He had said before elections that the commissioner of police would be chosen after the reform of the force and at the conclusion of Winston Felix's pre-retirement leave, which comes to an end in November.

"I said publicly that the reforms - all the proposals for the reforms including those coming from the Scottish police - will be discussed extensively with the top leadership of the Police Force." He said this was being done because he wanted the leadership of the police force to be comfortable with the reforms.

"But comfortable does not mean stymieing the reforms, but understanding where we go and to see that the reforms â€¦ produce a better police force, better policemen and to deliver results. It is not going after people it is equipping them to do a better job," President Jagdeo said.

Drug fight

Asked whether Greene's run-in with the US would impact on this country accessing assistance from Washing-ton in the area of national security and crime fighting, President Jagdeo said he did not anticipate that there would be any difficulty in getting resources. According to him, he has already held discussions with the new US Ambassador to Guyana, David Robinson, who is enthusiastic about working vigorously on fighting drug trafficking.

Jagdeo said he anticipated that in this term there would be more resources coming from the US to fight not only drugs, but also assistance from Washington to prevent the trafficking of arms and ammunition into Guyana.

On US assistance to fight drugs, Jagdeo said Washington had to do more. Last week Prime Minister Manning lashed out at the George W. Bush administration saying that since the September 11 terrorist attack on that country the US has ignored the Caribbean.

President Jagdeo echoed this yesterday saying that it seems to be a regional trend. "I have already heard a number of people complaining about not getting enough resources. Manning has just said it. When I said it ages ago people were saying that I was making an excuse, now Manning said it and if you ask any Caricom Head they would say the same thing too."

Jagdeo said they would have to engage the US, pointing out the areas where assistance is needed. "We have to point out to them that their policy does not make sense to put all the resources into Colombia when you have all of these neighbouring countries with large unprotected sea and land borders."

He told the press the US could not expect major successes from Caricom and South American countries, when those countries are not getting the sort of resources needed to tackle the drug trade. "I hope that after engagement we would see a flow of more resources," Jagdeo told the press. Additionally, Jagdeo said that the US needed to do more on the demand end in the fight against drug trafficking. (Nigel Williams/Stabroek News)

Justice Jainarayan Singh and the mixed jury in the West Ruimveldt, Georgetown manslaughter case, in which Devon Caesar and Aubrey Young are on trial for the unlawful killing of Sherwin Gill in 1999, visited the scene of the crime yesterday.

The two accused and their lawyers also visited the Hibiscus Street, West Ruimveldt scene. The jury had earlier heard witnesses for the Prosecution testify how Gill fell on a bumpy road with pot holes, after he was allegedly attacked and beaten with a hockey stick by the accused.

Their objective at the scene yesterday was to visualise what had happened on May 2, 1999, as was explained to them by the different witnesses.

Prosecutor Miss Leron Daly, with Miss Judy Latchman, are contending that the two accused and Gill had a row which started after he touched them on their buttocks much to their displeasure.

The Prosecution is contending that they choked Gill and beat him on the head with a hockey stick.

The doctor who performed the post mortem on Gill’s body concluded that death was due to asphyxiation.

The accused, defended by Mr. Peter Hugh and Miss Simone Morris (a former prosecutor for the State), have pleaded not guilty. The case is continuing today. (Guyana Cronicle)

Hundreds at funeral of Linden fire victims

President sends special message of condolence

Hundreds turned out at Linden yesterday for the funeral of the mother and five children who perished two Saturdays ago when they were trapped by fire in their house.

Among the mourners were Prime Minister-designate Samuel Hinds, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) leader, Mr. Robert Corbin and Mr. Raphael Trotman, leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC).

They joined in paying last respects to Melanie Ronetta Gonsalves Moore and her children at the Mackenzie Sports Club, in a moving service held to celebrate their lives, before the bodies were taken to the Christianburg Cemetery for burial.

Mr. Hinds, representing President Bharrat Jagdeo, read a special message from Mr. Jagdeo to the grieving husband Mark and other relatives.

The President’s message read: “It is with sadness that I express my heartfelt sympathy to the husband and relatives of those who perished by fire on Saturday September 2, 2006. The deaths of Melanie Ronnette Gonsalves Moore and her children Akia, Melina, Marcus, Mervin and Malayah was a tragedy felt throughout the country.

The entire country was touched by the deaths of the mother and her five children. On behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, I join with all Guyanese in sharing your pain at this time. I pray that the Creator’s comfort will cradle all the grieving relatives and that you will find the will to overcome this loss which has wounded the entire nation. Please be assured of my personal support in this your hour of mourning.”

There were two white caskets in separate hearses with the bodies of the mother and children. One casket had Akia, Marcus and Melina and the other Melanie, Marvin and Malayah. The caskets were only open at the residence for close relatives to view the remains.

Prime Minister-designate Samuel Hinds and Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Mr. Robert Corbin among mourners at the funeral service yesterday for Melanie Ronetta Moore and her five children at the Mackenzie Sports Club.

Mr. Hinds also expressed his condolences to Mark, family and relatives and hoped that they will be strengthened in this time of their grief.

Mr. Corbin said “all we can do is say to you to be strong and have belief in your faith and trust in the Almighty”. He said the lesson of Job in the Holy Bible comes readily to mind as “Job never lost his faith and kept steadfast to the end.”

The PNCR leader expressed sincere condolences on behalf of himself and the members of his party to the sorrowing husband and relatives of the deceased. There were many songs and dances by students from various schools during the sombre proceedings at the MSC ground.

Five students took turns in recalling memories of the five children who attended the Mount Carmel Church and were last seen at the Vacation Bible School (VBS). Mark’s brother, Andrew, read a prepared speech for Mark in which he mentioned that “the seven years with my wife were the best years of my life”.

He recalled that Melanie was a great mother and friend and companion as she cared for each of the children, which was evident to death, in the manner in which they died. She died while apparently trying to shield them from the fiery death in the washroom, with no way out of the heavily grilled house at 1362 Central Amelia’s Ward on Saturday September 2, last.

In remembering his children in his speech, Mark related that Akia, 10, was very brilliant; Melina, 6, loved to sing and dance; Marcus, 5, could not be blamed for any wrong as he was a loving child, Marvin, 3, a spitting image of him and Malayah, 2, was “Daddy’s favourite” having travelled most of the times with him. Melanie’s mother, Una May Gonsalves, was uncontrollable at times as she was very emotional about her daughter’s death and the loss of her grandchildren.

Mark’s twin brother, Martin, assured his brother that “we are with you in your moment of grief” and trusted that he will come around this period of sadness in his life. The family had left Guyana in 2005 to live in the United States but the children had returned home to go to school while Melanie and her husband Mark were to return to New York to pursue their careers. (Joe Chapman/Guyana Cronicle)

Despite another major fire around midnight on Saturday which tore through the decrepit, former GBC building on High Street, Chief Fire Officer, Lawrence David says his department was not at this time considering external forensic help but he admitted to being worried about the spate of blazes.

There have been five serious fires since the August 28 polls and another occurred just before the elections. David said while he would not say what he thinks was behind the fires he believes they are cause for concern.

Suspected arson has occurred during periods of instability at previous elections and critics of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) have noted in the past that it has been notoriously unable to solve these cases. Over the last decade or so, fires have ravaged a number of large and important state buildings in suspicious circumstances.

At around 12 midnight on Saturday, just a few hours after the fire service had to deal with a large fire at a registration building in the Guyana Elections Commission (GE-COM) compound in Kingston, fire broke out at the old GBC building located at Lot 44, High Street. The lone female security guard who was on duty could not say how the fire started but what is known is the blaze could not have been electrical as there is no electricity to the building.

This was the second time in months that fire erupted in the building, the first being on July 3 when 'Studio B' was damaged.

The badly burnt interior of the old GBC building on High Street yesterday. (Ken Moore photo)

When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday morning it was noticed that the roof and ceiling of the building were severely damaged. While from the outside of the building it appeared as if little or no damage occurred, this perception would change as soon as the building is entered as the charred reception area with the sharp sunlight beating through what was once the roof tells a different story.

Other areas that were extensively damaged were Studios 3 and 4 and their control rooms. The master control room was also ruined and there was some damage to the section that once housed Radio Roraima.

The sections that were not consumed by fire were affected by the water used to extinguish the flames. The ground was strewn with wet and burnt sheets from the ceiling and in some areas the water was almost a foot high.

Vagrants and junkies have been breaching security and occupying parts of the building and Stabroek News was told that some persons also pay a small sum to use the building for various purposes. The building has been empty since the merger of the then GBC and GTV to form NCN. The staff members and equipment were moved to the Homestretch Avenue location leaving the building empty.

The building is now registered to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) but it is not clear what the plans for the building or the compound are. When Stabroek News had contacted Winston Brassington, head of the Privatisation Unit/NICIL after the first fire he would only say: "the building is owned by NICIL and no public comment is available on the future use of the building at this point."

According to reports reaching this newspaper there was some interest shown in the building by former broadcasters among others and an approach was even made but they were told that they had to wait until a tender notice is placed. It is understood that the prospective buyers, some being persons who started their careers at the facility, have sought external assistance to buy the building.

Reports indicate that the authorities want to sell the building for US$500,000 but one observer noted that by the time the authorities are ready to go to bidding they would be "tendering ashes."

Worry

The series of fires started on August 24 when the Region Five Regional Democratic Council (RDC) office was gutted. Eight days later it was the Region Four RDC office located at Paradise. The fire ravaged the main building. Later that same day the National Com-munications Network (NCN) Linden transmission department was destroyed, closing off operations for an entire week and leaving Linden without television service.

Then on Saturday, the fires continued. This time it was the Guyana Elections Commission compound at Kingston. The registration building was completely gutted by the inferno. Later that night it was the old GBC building. Beside these five fires, on the same day when NCN Linden was burnt a family perished in a blaze in the same town. There was also a fire on Friday at the Guyana Power and Light Garden of Eden plant and what appeared to be attempts to set fires at two schools.

Stabroek News was unable to make contact yesterday with the Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene yesterday for a comment.

In a telephone interview with Stabroek News yesterday, David said that the frequent fires have been of great concern and worry to him and he was hoping that investigators would be able to find some clue as to what caused the fires. David stopped short of saying that he was confident that they would make headway in their investigation, saying that it was not unusual for them to come up with clues, neither was it unusual for them to take a while to probe some cases. He said that he has confidence in the ability of the investigators.

Today he is expected to get a progress report from his ranks. David told Stabroek News that despite the rash of fires his department has been coping well under the pressure. According to him the department was better equipped with both resources and manpower. He pointed out that in all of the fires so far they were able to contain the blaze to the building it started in and prevented any spread to other structures. "I have the confidence that our ranks are working hard and are capable of doing the job," David said.

Asked whether arson was one consideration, David said yes, but added that they usually do general investigations. He said so far there was no evidence of arson. "We do not have any such information... and that is why we are still out there doing our work," the Fire Chief said.

On the fire in the GECOM compound, David said that the location is heavily guarded both at the back and in front. He said it would have been difficult for someone off the road to set the building on fire without the security guards knowing. "So we would have to look internally to see whether there was some fault in the building or something else," David said. He said despite this fact they were not ruling out arson.

The fires

In the early morning of August 24 a fire of unknown origin completely destroyed the $20M administrative building and a vehicle belonging to the Regional Democratic Council of Region Five at Fort Wellington. Firefighters from Guysuco's Blairmont Estate turned up at the scene within 15 minutes and were able to contain the blaze to the building.

The gutted building is also located in the same compound with the regional office, the post office and the police station. A resident had told this newspaper that just after 12 midnight he smelt smoke and peeped through the window only to see smoke coming from the back of the building. He said he later heard a policeman shouting for everyone to get out of the building.

Eight days later the Region Four main building at Paradise housing the Registry and Personnel divisions was gutted. The origin of that blaze is also still not known.

Reports are that flames were spotted in the bottom flat of the two-storey building around 12.45 am. According to reports, prompt action by the security guard at the premises led to the fire service being informed soon after but within 20 minutes the structure was destroyed. A former councillor of the RDC told Stabroek News that the fire was not an accident and he believes that something sinister occurred.

Outgoing chairman of the region, Allan Munroe in expressing shock at the destruction of the building said that he could not think of anything in the building which could have started a fire, noting that it was only last year they rewired the building. He said if it was the work of an arsonist he could not see what that person would gain from it. Later that morning around 2:30 the security guard at the NCN Linden plant heard a loud explosion following which he saw the transmission department on fire.

Commissioner of Police, Greene had told the media that threats were made to the manager of the Linden NCN one week before the fire. According to Greene a group of men ordered the manager to stop broadcasting GECOM elections results.

NCN in a release had stated that the fire was of electrical origin. However, David when asked about this said that the only agency that could comment on such a fire was the Government Electrical Inspectorate. Newly-appointed Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee who was at the scene on Saturday at the GECOM compound praised the firemen for containing the fire very quickly.

Rohee said the immediate task would be to ascertain the origin of the fire since a lot of people would be asking questions about it. According to him if the investigation established that the fire was not accidental, but an act of arson, the perpetrators would be prosecuted under the Terrorism Act. He recognized that previous probes into large fires have proven inconclusive; however he said that every investigation has to be taken on its own merits.

Preserved

Meanwhile, an angry and disappointed broadcaster, Denis Chabrol is still hoping the old GBC building could be preserved. "It is most disgusting that the authorities had not seen it fit since the first fire to put in place adequate security measures to preserve the remainder of the building. It is clear beyond any reasonable shadow of a doubt that the authorities see little or no value in preserving the building from both a qualitative and historical perspective," Chabrol told Stabroek News yesterday when contacted.

However, he feels that it is not too late for the authorities to take the necessary remedial action and suggested that the roof of the building be immediately repaired. He urged that the authorities do a number of things: ensure there is proper security to avoid a repetition, that the building be rehabilitated, that it be sold or leased to any interested group of former and current broadcasters so it could be used for production and maybe training and eventually as a live broadcasting facility to be used as a model for any private broadcaster who might be granted a radio licence.

He said that efforts should be made to retrieve all remaining records and recordings for cataloguing and storing and the Natio-nal Archives and NCN should urgently collaborate in sourcing the requisite human and technical resources to rescue, preserve and store all recordings of value. (Oluatoyin Alleyne and Nigel Williams/Stabroek News)

Police yet to arrest suspects in Grove multiple murder

Following the bizarre discovery of four decomposing bodies in a house on the Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara, on August 2 last, the police are yet to make an arrest of the two suspects.

Up to date, it is difficult to understand why two children, their mother and an elderly male caretaker were murdered in cold blood. The police have reportedly made no headway in the case and they are far from even arresting the suspects who were seen in the city recently.

When contacted yesterday, Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ivelaw Whittaker said he did not know about the investigation and directed comments to the Divisional Commander, Mr Paul Slowe, who declined to make any. The partly decomposed bodies were discovered by relatives after they were not seen for days.

Post mortem examinations revealed that Fred Looknauth, 66, died from cerebral haemorrhage, while Danmattie Kayman, 43, died of strangulation. The two children, Alicia Kirkpatrick, 6 and Melville Kayman, 3, both died from cerebral haemorrhage due to head wounds.

The bizarre case sparked countrywide interest. Relatives are hoping that the police would make some headway in their investigations very soon. (Guyana Cronicle)

The killing of eight members of the Buxton criminal gang on August 11, and the recovery of eight assault rifles following the attack on two commercial banks in Berbice have made a dent in the criminal network, but the recruitment of gunmen is usually an easy process as many youths have shown great interest in joining the group in the past.

Well-placed sources told this newspaper that over the years since its existence, the criminal gang in Buxton has never found it difficult to enlist gunmen and at times had even sent away men who did not match its standards. Some have also absconded after finding out that it was hard, risky work.

"You have to be rough. Dem does tell you and you have to know how to shoot good... if not they would chase you or make you a look-out [spy]," a Buxton village source told Stabroek News recently.

Troy Ramsammy called 'Black Boy,' 31, of Bush Lot Squatting Area, Corentyne; Rawle Anthony James called 'Curtis,' 23, of Melanie Damishana Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Troy Sancho of Buxton, ECD; Albert Evans called 'Doni' also of Buxton; Wayne Azore also known as 'Stiff Jack' of Melanie, ECD; Abu Mendonza, 27, of Kildonan, Corentyne; Fitzgerald Koulen of Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, Georgetown; and Dayton Campbell of Sophia, were killed during confrontations with the joint services in the Black Bush Polder area following the robberies.

Eight AK-47s, seven of them belonging to the Guyana Defence Force, and one M70 assault rifle and a Beretta were recovered after the suspected robbers were killed while several bags of money were also recovered.

The eight were cornered after a suspected getaway boat was nabbed with three men on the Canje River a few hours after the robbery. The three men, Terrence Azore, Harlon Lepps and Henry Lindie, are now before the court charged with robbing a bank.

On the morning of August 11, a number of armed men cordoned off the town of Rose Hall and robbed the Republic and Demerara banks of large sums of money. They also robbed at least one customer. They rounded up about 15 persons whom they then forced to form a barrier across the road in front of Demerara Bank.

Three of the men stood guard over these persons while two patrolled the area and two others ran into the Demerara Bank. Traffic came to a standstill in front of the human barriers as the men made their way to Republic Bank, moving the human chain to Independence Arch. Among those in the human chain was a two-year-old boy who was made to lie with the rest of the people on the hot road. One woman was shot by the bandits in Republic Bank and was hospitalized for several days.

Stabroek News recently made an attempt to track the background of the eight dead men with a view to understanding what caused them to join the gang and how they actually got involved. Sources told this newspaper the perception that gang members were in it for financial reward might not be entirely true since robbery is no longer a major part of the group's activities.

The source said that for the most part the gunmen were being financed by other sources, and at present they saw themselves as freedom fighters. Additionally, the source said that recent recruits had joined the gang with that understanding and they had basically committed themselves to a life of crime. "I don't think it is about money any more; maybe when the gang now started that was the motive, but now it is a different something. They feel that they are fighting a cause," the source told Stabroek News.

Asked about Evans called 'Doni', sources in Buxton said he had a history of criminal activity, although many including the police did not know of him until recently. The source said Evans was notorious for holding up minibuses with passengers as they passed along the Buxton railway embankment and robbing them. The source said too that Evans had participated in at least two murders, one where a couple at Annandale had been gunned down and another recently in Enterprise.

The source said Evans first worked with the Buxton gang as a look-out and later graduated to a fully-fledged gunman. Most recently he had been operating a shop on the railway embankment, which was previously owned by dead prison escapee Shawn Browne. Stabroek News was told that 'Doni' was involved with the gang, but because the police did not know him he could easily put down his weapon and sell at his stall.

In October 2005 he was arrested by the police and charged with conspiracy to commit murder on October 6, as well as abduction and wrongful restraint for ransom. He was granted bail on both charges, but never attended court. Again, Evans was arrested during a massive joint services operation in Buxton in November, but again he was given bail after attending court.

Sources said that the 42-year-old went fully into the criminal gang after those two encounters with the police. "He realised then that the police them know him so he give up the shop he had and went full into the thing," the source said. As far as the source was concerned, the death of Evans came as no shock to the residents of Buxton who knew him well.

Another villager, Troy Sancho, was notorious for stealing cows and slaughtering them before joining the gang. Reports said the young man had also been a look-out for the hardened criminals, riding bicycles around the village spying on the police and any other strange person entering the community. Sources said it was not clear when he graduated from a look-out to a gunman, but there was no alarm when he too turned up dead with the others. The source said living in Buxton and being unable to find jobs, Sancho and other youths succumbed to the temptations of the hardened criminals who paid them to act as spies.

Wayne Azore of Melanie Damishana was said to have been a key figure in the gang, heading the Melanie/Bare Root faction. He had been recruited several months before being killed in the robbery and had been instrumental in enlisting some of his fellow villagers to join the group.

Stabroek News was told that one of his recruits had been Rawle Anthony James. Sources said James was related to a well-known local singer, in addition to which, one of his relatives was said to have had a relationship with someone close to Azore. From all indications, the source said that both Azore and James used to meet regularly before the latter was recruited.

The connections of the other five are not clear, although two of them, Koulen and Campbell, were said to have been good friends who had spent time in the Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge area. Koulen's relatives had told this newspaper that they were shocked to find out that he was among the bank robbers. However, they did not vouch for him, saying he did not spend much time at home so it was difficult to monitor his activities.

Campbell was a well-known figure in Sophia, but residents said he did not spend much time there. The other two robbers were from the Corentyne and it is widely believed that they were recruited for the purpose of the robbery as they knew the terrain well.

Sources said the Buxton gang networked with other criminals countrywide and that the gang had a standard modus operandi. Whenever they went out to attack any place far away from Buxton they would usually enlist someone in the particular community with good knowledge of the area. The sources believe Ramsammy and Mendonca, the two Berbicians, might have been recruited for this purpose.

What was clear also, the sources said, that while the gang numbered over 30 in all, it was subdivided into small factions which would act independently from the main body from time to time. The sources believe the bank robbery was one such case as it would appear that the key figures in the main gang were not there. (Syabroek News)

Roger Khan case:

Fate of trio in Suriname jails still uncertain

The fate of the three Guyanese -- Paul Rodrigues, Sean Belfield and Lloyd Roberts -- still in separate jails in Suriname since they were nabbed on June 15 last, along with their alleged boss man Roger Khan -- remains uncertain.

The men, all ex-policemen, were said to be working as bodyguards for Khan who has since been extradited to the United States and is due for a third court appearance on September 18 in New York.

Reached by telephone yesterday for an update, Surinamese lawyer Irwnis Khanai, who is looking into the interests of the three in that country, told the Guyana Chronicle the men who have not yet been charged by the Surinamese authorities, are being taken through a pre-trial, similar to that of a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) here.

The judicial process involving the presentation of testimonies is being conducted by a Judge of Instruction, he said. And, according to Khanai, the Judge of Instruction has a time limit of 120 days to “finish his instructions”.

Rodrigues, Belfield and Roberts and businessman Khan, 36, were arrested in what Suriname police said was a huge drug bust that netted 213 kilos of cocaine on June 15 in Paramaribo. Khan, who was flown from the country to the U.S. on June 29 after the authorities there said they had no charges against him, is in jail in New York.

This was despite the fact that Suriname Minister of Justice, Mr Chandrikapersad Santokhi, had initially linked Khan to plots to assassinate key government and judicial officials in that country and had deemed him a threat to national and international security. Santokhi had also told reporters that Khan, for about two years before, was also being investigated for cocaine trafficking, firearm possession and being part of a criminal gang.

In a strange twist, Khan was nabbed by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents soon after he deplaned from a Suriname Airways aircraft at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and taken to the U.S.

Less than 24 hours later Khan was arraigned at the Brooklyn Federal Court in New York before Judge Roanne Mann on a charge of “conspiring to import cocaine”. He pleaded not guilty and is on remand in downtown Brooklyn. Efforts by way of a motion filed on Khan’s behalf, seeking to have Suriname rescind its decision to expel him thus allowing the arrest by U.S. DEA agents in Trinidad, have been rejected in Suriname.

Asked about the demeanour of Rodrigues, Belfield and Roberts, the lawyer Khanai, who last visited with them three weeks ago, said they “are going fine but unhappy and are looking forward to their chances of release”. Questioned as to whether family members of the three have been able to visit with them, Khanai said he is aware that their wives have been able to see them.

Meanwhile, Khan’s case was described by Justice Dora Lizzette Irririzary before whom he appeared on August 4, last, at the U.S. Eastern District Court on Tillary Street in downtown Brooklyn, as a complex one. This was also the view of U.S. attorneys Robert Simmels and John Bergendahl and Trinidadian Odai Ramishchand, all of whom are defending him.

According to the `Guyana Times’ in New York City, Judge Irririzary stated that Khan’s case was out of the norm for most criminal cases and those differences were basically occasioned by the way he was taken to the U.S. (Wendella Davidson/Guyana Cronicle)

Seven months after her partner Cedrick Edwards was murdered while on duty at the St Joseph High School, Enid Daniels has died. She had been grieving since that fateful day in January and had suffered the blow of two more deaths in the family shortly after Edwards' murder.

Just over two weeks ago Daniels complained of feeling unwell and was taken to the hospital. She was admitted and died the following day. Those close to her said she wanted to go and died in peace.

"Losing Cedrick was hard and she never got over it. Almost every day she would talk about him and cry. Then Cedrick sister who live right in the same yard, dead. And a little after that the same sister son dead so Enid really had it hard," Yonette Rodney related a few days ago.

Rodney had cared for Daniels after her husband died. Daniels was a double amputee and was unable to do many things for herself. Edwards was a security guard at St Joseph High and when he was murdered, Enid said her world had come to an end. In an interview with Stabroek News back in January, an inconsolable Enid Daniels spoke of how losing Cedrick was going to impact on her life.

Cedrick Edwards

"Is two days now since dey snatch Eddie and ah can't stop crying and ain't know how dis life gon treat me now he gone but I putting God first," Daniels had said. According to Rodney, life was kind to Enid but since Cedrick was not there it just did not matter.

She said the elderly woman struggled to stay positive but would often be sad and no matter what people did or said she just could not emerge from the depressed state she was in.

But Rodney and many others often kept her company. The woman said she would spend time reading to Enid and strangers who had read Enid's story in the newspapers would also visit and encourage her to be strong. She said several persons donated food items and money to Enid, showed her love and supported in whatever way they could. Still, Enid was sad.

Rodney said Enid faced death with a brave face and with a smile. She said Enid felt as though everyone she loved had gone and she was left alone in the world that she did not know much about.

Days and nights would pass and Enid would just sit at the window and look out, Rodney said. According to her, no one knew for sure what Enid was thinking sometimes but if anyone passed and waved at her she would start up a conversation.

She recalled that on many occasions Enid would ask how she was doing and whether she needed anything. Rodney said Enid was a sweet woman who lost the one person she truly cared about and just gave up after a while.

Enid and Cedrick had lived together for 33 years. They both worked as security guards but she was forced to stay at home after she was diagnosed with diabetes and her legs were amputated. Enid who was laid to rest close to a week ago is survived by a son. (Iana Seales/Stabroek News)

Police in the North Pakaraimas regions on Friday last recovered a .38 revolver, which had been recently stolen from a police constable after he was chopped and beaten by bandits who had robbed a man. Romeo George had responded to a robbery report at Kato Police Station when the bandits turned on him, relieving him of his service weapon and chopping him about his body.

Police in a statement yesterday said that following intense investigations the police in 'E&F' Division on Friday recovered a .38 revolver and six rounds of ammunition in a desolate area at Yalamara Creek, Kuru Kubaru, North Pakaraimas.

Investigations have confirmed that the weapon is the property of the Guyana Police Force that was stolen some time back from Lance Corporal 16293 George of Kato Police Station who was disarmed while responding to a report. George, the statement said, had received several chops about his body during the incident. He has since been discharged from hospital and is on recuperation leave. (Stabroek News)

Dead are Melanie Ronnet Gonsalves Moore, 30, her children, Akia December, 10, Melina, 7, Marcus, 4, Mervin, 3, and baby boy Malayah, who was close to celebrating his second birthday.

The fire, which started at around 07:00 h is believed to have been of electrical origin. One of the children was burnt beyond recognition. His charred body was found in one of the bedrooms, while the others were discovered in the washroom along with their mother.

Two were found in cramped positions while the two others were found lying face down on the floor.

The bodies of those in the bathroom suggested that they died of suffocation. After hearing their screams for help from the burning building, firemen and neighbours tried to break down the doors to get in and save them.

Eventually, someone got a pick axe which was used, but by then all had perished. The doors were bolted from inside and padlocked and would-be rescuers could not prise them open.

From all appearances, the fire started in the south western section on the top floor. Two persons, who lived with the family, were asleep downstairs and were able to escape. One of them is a relative, Claire McCalman, of 17 East La Penitence in Georgetown.

She said she awoke to find smoke all over the place and she ran out of the building not knowing that the others were upstairs. Scores of residents were gripped as the horror unfolded before their very eyes and neighbours related hearing cries by the children for help but could not render any assistance.

Melanie and Mark Moore

Some residents were dismayed that the Fire Service tenders showed up with very little water to douse the raging fire. Soon after the tenders left to be refilled, it was discovered that a few yards away in the street there were a number of fire hydrants and water from one of these was eventually used to bring the fire under control.

After the first body was found, efforts were made to remove the others from the building. There were screams and gasps from the large crowd which had gathered outside at the scene as the bodies were brought out of the building.

This fire reminded residents of one in the early 1980s when three members of a family in Amelia's Ward died after flames gutted their home.

It also brought back memories of several school children who perished when a Dodge Ram bus virtually exploded in 1994 on the Linden Highway in Kara Kara. (Guyana Cronicle/Joe Chapman/Photos, courtesy Guymine.com)

The Surinamese government had closed off the Nickerie border with Guyana last week Saturday as a precautionary measure to avert any cross-border traffic of arms and criminals. The legal ferry service at Moleson Creek was also closed on Monday, but it resumed service the following day. Management told Stabroek News that everything was now back to normal at the Canawaima ferry service.

However, the operators of the three `backtrack' service at Corriverton told Stabroek News yesterday that since Monday there has been a steady flow of people turning up at the boat landings every day to cross over.

According to one operator, while Suriname has blocked off their end at Nickerie, members of the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) have also sealed off operations at the Guyana end. "So right now we can't move...but things suppose to change soon," one operator told Stabroek News yesterday.

The operator noted that many of their regular customers, some being businessmen, have expressed their disgust at the closure of the backtrack route, although they understood the reason behind the move. The operator said many persons are usually reluctant to travel via the legal route as it took longer and is more expensive. Besides, the operator said that the ferry only travels from Guyana to Suriname once daily and as such anyone going across could not get back until the next day.

The Suriname newspaper de Ware Tijd (DWT) had reported on Monday that concerned over possible election violence in Guyana, the Suriname government sent army troops to Nickerie at the border with Guyana. The report said that some 200 troops were dispatched to Nickerie in the security operation called 'Surwest', the Ministry of Defence said in a press release.

The newspaper reported that the army has also requested the government to close the entire border with the exception of the legal entry point at the ferry service near South Drain. The Suriname Defence Ministry had noted an increased movement of persons from Guyana to Suriname prior to the elections, especially through the illegal route.

Surwest is designed as a training exercise that could easily be transformed into a security operation if the situation in Guyana deteriorated after the elections, the defence ministry said.

The Suriname Water Supply Company was also put on high alert in case of any emergency. The Ministry of Defence however said that if the situation in Guyana stayed calm after the elections then the exercise would be terminated by today.

Concerns were raised about the illegal migration points located at Number 78 Village, Corriverton. Stabroek News was told that criminals frequented the stellings which are being operated in the open and indicted-drug accused, Shaheed Roger Khan and his cohorts who were arrested in Suriname during a drug bust had actually travelled via the backtrack route to the country.

As a result of the closure of the backtrack service, huge crowds on a daily basis are seen at the legal ferry terminal at Moleson Creek, this newspaper was told. (Stabroek News)