October 31, 2008
Police arrest boyfriend in Anjanie Mahdoo murder
Anjanie Mahdoo
Ms. Mahdoo left home on Monday for work at R. Sookraj and Sons Store on Regent Street and failed to return home later that evening.
Mrs. Toolsiedai Mahdoo told the Chronicle in an interview Wednesday that her daughter indicated that she was going to the motorcade at LBI. Ms. Mahdoo’s body bore marks of violence. When the corpse was found the young woman was still wearing all her jewellery.
Mrs. Mahdoo told the Chronicle that her daughter was involved with a young man who often abused her. The relationship was going on for seven years, during which there were several fights and quarrels.
Meanwhile, the police are investigating the death of Frederick Moses, 62, of Borlam, Corentyne, Berbice, whose body was found in a canal at Borlam about 16:35h Wednesday. The police are awaiting the results of the post mortem. (Guyana Cronicle)
October 30, 2008
Body of 25-year-old found in trench at LBI
Dead: Anjanie Mahoo called “Pinky”.
Mother of the deceased, Mrs. Toolsiedai Mahoo, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that she last saw her daughter when she left home for work on Monday. She said Anjanie even took her lunch with her, but indicated that she was going to the motorcade at LBI after work.
The grieving woman added that after her daughter did not come home that evening she dialled her cellular number several times but got no response. “I became very worried and the next day I made a missing person report at the station,” she cried yesterday. Mrs. Mahoo said that she even visited the girl’s workplace yesterday to enquire whether her daughter had showed up for work and she was told that she did.
Mrs. Mahoo told the Guyana Chronicle that her unmarried daughter was seeing a young man who lives on the East Coast Demerara, and it is believed that she was with him Monday night. She said that she even telephoned her daughter’s boyfriend to enquire of her whereabouts. Mrs. Mahoo explained that the relationship between the two was a stormy one punctuated with numerous fights and arguments.
She said that the young man was very jealous and abusive to her daughter who chose to remain in the relationship for seven years. Anjanie was employed at R. Sookraj and Sons Store on Regent Street, Georgetown, and was described as a friendly and jovial person who had an effervescent personality. Anjanie is survived by her three siblings, her parents and scores of relatives.
Family members strongly believe that their loved one was murdered and called for a thorough investigation. After lunch yesterday when her father and brother-in-law identified her body at Lyken Funeral Parlour they broke the news of her demise to relatives who went into a deep state of mourning. (Michel Outridge/Guyana Cronicle)
October 29, 2008
Gang terrorizing NWD villages
Breaking into homes, molesting young girls
Residents plead for army to assist
A large gang of men, some of whom are armed with “bush” (homemade) guns, have been breaking into homes in the North West District (NWD) and molesting young girls over the last week, leaving villagers traumatized and afraid to sleep in their homes at night.
This week police in the area arrested two men believed to be gang members, but despite this and the formation of citizens’ patrol groups in Hosororo, Bumbury and Wanaina, the gang has continued to operate. Stabroek News attempted to get a comment from Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene yesterday but was unsuccessful.
Residents of the area said it is believed that the men are from settlements along the Aruka River, which runs through Hosororo, which is home to some 1,200 people. Bumbury is the next village followed by Wanaina. These two communities have much smaller populations.
Yesterday residents made a plea for the army, which has a base some three miles from the terrorized communities, to lend some assistance. They said the men would strike and then escape into the thick bushes making it difficult to capture them. The gang has been attacking all three villages, sometimes simultaneously.
Speaking to this newspaper, a prominent resident of Hosororo said that on Monday night 12 men surrounded a house in the village with the apparent intention of breaking in, but eventually abandoned that plan and moved on to other houses in the area. The woman, who did not want her name published, said the men are “entering people’s home and molesting their girl children”.
So far, there have been no reports of actual rape, but, according to information, the men have succeed in fondling the breasts and pulling at the underpants of the girls, some of whom are as young as 12 years old. The resident said the men are unable to do anything else because the girls would wake up and scream alerting the entire household.
The resident said the police were informed about the situation last week after it escalated into a nightly occurrence. She said some 10 girls have been victims, adding that the figure could be higher, but some residents might be either afraid or ashamed to come forward. The woman told Stabroek News that the officers from the Mabaruma Police Station later called a meeting on Hosororo Hill with the men of the three affected communities to help find a way to handle the situation.
“People scared bad. They can’t sleep at night,” she said, pointing out that while there is one straight road that runs through the communities from the river; there are several other tracks that lead from the river.
She said that from the information that is circulating, the men are coming from the river and appear to be spraying a chemical, which seems to have a debilitating effect on persons, before they strike.
The woman said it appeared that the sole intention of the gang is to molest young girls because so far the only thing that has been stolen is a generator. However, the generator was since recovered, having been found in possession of one of the men who was arrested.
Of the three, Hosororo is the only community with electricity, but this is shut off between 11 and 12 each night. Villagers have to depend on generators and lamps for light. The resident said the cunning gang members would put out the lamp once they entered a house.
Stabroek News was told a 12-year-old schoolgirl from the village was molested but was sent to school without the matter being reported to the police as the station is located some 3½ miles away. According to the resident, the police station is too far away and an outpost should be set up in the area.
The resident said the child’s home was a flat house and instead of louvres on the windows, there are bars. The men removed the bars, entered the home and cut the net that was over the bed the girl was sleeping in. The woman said that the child was taken to the police by teachers at the school and then after her mother arrived a statement was taken. Subsequently, three policemen in a car began patrolling the villages on Monday night but the gang still continued to strike.
Quiet community
Another resident of Hosororo told this newspaper that she has been living in the community for 10 years and this never happened before. She recalled that last Thursday she was at home with her three children when she heard a rapping at her front door and a noise at the door of her fowl pen some time after 11 pm.
The woman said that she made no attempt to get up because she knew it was the men. She recalled that there was a time when residents slept with their windows open but now all windows have to be nailed shut.
The resident said there was probably very little the police could do, since there were only about six officers manning the police station.
A father recalled to Stabroek News yesterday how he was awakened by the screams of his 15-year-old daughter during the wee hours of last Thursday. He said he rushed to her aid and heard footsteps at the back of house. He later found his back door open but there was no one in sight. The man said the children of a headmaster who runs a school 7-8 miles up river were molested on Monday night.
He explained that the homes in these communities are not as close together as those in the city and there is thick bush between many properties. He said that on Monday night alone there were at least three incidents. According to the reports, some of the men wear masks and are armed with guns. The resident stressed that his community was once a peaceful one but today, once it gets dark residents are consumed by fear as they do not know what the men will do next. (Ziosa Fraser/Stabroek News)
October 28, 2008
Ten homeless after two fires in Berbice
Hero rescues home alone children
The house at Rose Hall up in flames
Ten people are now homeless following two separate fires in Berbice, which completely destroyed two buildings. A building in New Amsterdam, close to the hospital, which housed an extended family of seven was completely destroyed yesterday after it caught fire, the result of a two-year-old child playing with matches.
According to the police, the house belonged to an elderly woman who shared the dwelling with three children and three grandchildren. Reports are that a 14-year-old child was sleeping and felt heat and immediately raised an alarm. The fire tender arrived shortly after and doused the building but was unable to save it.
Owner of the house at Rose Hall, Kaneeza and her children who were rescued from the blaze.
Meanwhile, two children narrowly escaped being burnt in a house at Rose Hall, Corentyne on Saturday around 10.15 am; a public-spirited citizen kicked down the door to rescue them.
The children, a seven-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl were left alone in the home by their mother Kaneeza who had gone to the market a short distance away.
Their rescuer, Guru Jagnarine, said he was on his way home from the shop when he saw the fire and heard the children screaming. Neighbours were also shouting that the children were in the house, but they did not dare go in.
Bravely, he made his way up the stairs and kicked down the door. He found the children in a corner looking at the blaze and crying.
He grabbed them and ran out of the house, scorching his hand in the process. As soon as he was safely out of the house with the children, “there was a big ball of fire… it spread like wildfire.”
The children’s mother told this newspaper she had just locked them in the house and did not plan to stay long in the market. Soon after she got to the market, she got the call about the fire. The first thing she thought of, she said, was the children and she started to panic. When she got to the scene the building was already engulfed but when she heard the children were saved she was relived.
The building at New Amsterdam after it was gutted
Neighbours were forming a bucket brigade to try to save the other buildings nearby. A resident said he was sitting on his veranda when he noticed a small trickle of black smoke coming from the bedroom and he raised an alarm.
He said a few young men were on the street and they assisted in dousing the building, but when they realized that their effort was useless they decided to save the other buildings, averting a “major disaster.”
He summoned the fire tenders from New Amsterdam Fire Service and the Albion Estate but by the time they arrived the building was already gutted. (Shabna Ullah/Stabroek News)
Cop detained for questioning into Brickdam lockups death
A policeman has been detained for questioning with regard to ex-soldier James Nelson being discovered dead in Brickdam Police Station lockups last Tuesday, Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene said yesterday. Greene was responding to questions from reporters following the conclusion of the opening ceremony of the Junior Officers’ Course held at the Lloyd Barker Hall, Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary.
Before confirming the arrest of one of his officers, he said investigations have been intensified to determine what transpired. “Having had the report from the government pathologist we recognise that the gentleman suffered some injuries and we want to find out how and why,” Greene said. “We are not saying that anybody is culpable but it must have happened somehow.”
He said the initial information was that Nelson “had to be subdued and we are not sure if it was at this point in time that this gentleman may have met some injuries”.
Greene said investigators are not certain that some of the people who were questioned have indeed given all of the facts and as such “at least one police rank, who we want to talk to a little longer,” has been detained. This detention he stated was based on the reports from other persons and the belief that the policeman may have more information.
Nelson called `Jimmy’ who had a history of mental illness, was discovered dead in a cell at the station last Monday morning. His son who was the first to see his body had told relatives that the man’s face and hands were swollen. In addition, there were marks on his hand and a gaping wound to the back of the head. The man’s wife had told Stabroek News that she believed he was beaten by police.
However the police in their release had said that according to the information they received the 47-year-old Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara resident had been banging his head on the wall of the lockups during the course of Monday night. However, relatives disputed that the man could have reached such a state, since he was not mad and had pointed out that that did not account for the wounds he had.
The police in a statement had said that the man was arrested a day earlier after he entered the compound of the Ministry of Home Affairs and began behaving disorderly, allegedly over money owed to him by a contractor who had sent him off the job.
He was spoken to by a Special Constabulary officer on duty but continued to behave in a disorderly manner and had to be restrained. The rank subsequently arrested him and handed him over to a police patrol that had been summoned. He was place in a cell with 20 others but was discovered dead the following morning around 6:30 with a bruise over the right eye and a small cut over the left eye.
A post-mortem examination (PME) conducted by government pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh two days later revealed the man’s death resulted from haemorrhage and shock due to multiple injuries. However, no information was given as to where Nelson sustained the injuries. His relatives had told Stabroek News that day that they were told at the Georgetown Hospital Mortuary where the PME was done that he died from a ruptured spleen. (Staff/Stabroek News)
October 26, 2008
Five drown, two missing in Corentyne River mishap
Lone survivor swam ashore
The ill-fated Sevi 2 at the Roy Ramdass Landing yesterday after it was recovered.
Five people drowned, two are missing and one miraculously made it to the shore, after a river mishap that occurred just after 5.30 pm on Friday, involving a speedboat that plies the Guyana/Suriname “backtrack” route; the boat was returning from Suriname.
Owner of the boat, Roy Ramdass, 47, who was captaining it, was among the dead whose bodies were washed ashore at various points on the Corentyne yesterday.
The other persons who were on board the ill-fated Sevi 2 were Sheila Gonsalves, 64 and her sister Sherry Haynes, in her 30s, both New York-based Berbicians; their nephew, Henry Gonsalves of New Amsterdam; Indranie ‘Birdlady’ Motiram, 49, of Crabwood Creek; Ena Hope, 34, of Number 78 Village, Corriverton; Drupatie Bahagiloo called Nalini Ganpat, 45, of Hampshire, Corentyne and Leslie ‘Heads’ Austin, 25, of Number 78 Village.
Austin managed to swim to shore after efforts he made to save the others failed. He reached the Number 63 Beach foreshore safely around 8 pm on Friday.
Henry Gonsalves
Up to press time yesterday, the bodies of Ramdass, Hope, Sheila Gonsalves, Motiram and another female had been recovered. Henry Gonsalves and another woman were still missing and feared drowned. Many persons turned up at the Skeldon Hospital Mortuary yesterday to get a glimpse of the bodies as they were brought in.
Reports are that the propeller of the boat became entangled with fishing seines and this caused the boat to capsize.
Though the vessel was equipped with enough lifejackets for everyone, Austin, Motiram and Ramdass were not wearing any. Austin told this newspaper that he only put on his lifejacket after the accident occurred.
This newspaper understands that the boat left Suriname with 10 passengers but a boat from ‘Aunty Landing’, which was empty, stopped and collected two of the passengers after the captain realized that the Sevi 2 was carrying too many people. Stabroek News learnt that the captain also asked if more persons would like to join his boat, but the passengers said no and he continued his journey.
Survivor: Leslie Austin
Francis Gonsalves of Holland and formerly of Number 78 Village, whose sisters Sheila, a pensioner and Sherry Haynes, a nurse of Brooklyn, New York were on the boat, said they all came to Guyana to scatter their brother, Hector Gonsalves’s ashes.
He said Hector passed away on October 6, and they travelled to Guyana last Sunday to fulfil his wishes of scattering his ashes in all the rivers in Guyana.
They had already done so and his sisters, along with Ena Hope, a mother of two of the Reno Hotel where the siblings stayed and his nephew, Henry decided to travel to Suriname on Friday morning to visit relatives.
Yesterday, Francis was trying his best to cope with the situation. He commented that it was already hard dealing with the passing of one member of his family and now he has to deal with three more.
Ena Hope
Sheila, a pensioner might be buried in Berbice, while Haynes’s husband, Keith Haynes and her daughter, 18-year-old Jennifer are expected in the country tomorrow.
Ramdass’s wife, Meena, 44, told Stabroek News that her husband, who took over the business from his parents and had been doing it for over 15 years, called her just before he left Suriname. She said that around 7 pm after the boat did not arrive she became worried and sent out her sons, Ryan and Ravi and their workers in two boats to conduct a search.
Roy Ramdass
She said the boats came in for fuel three times and each time she hoped that they would come with good news but her worst fears were confirmed when the empty boat returned at around 9 am yesterday.
When this newspaper visited the landing yesterday morning, a large crowd had gathered to offer their sympathy and support while Ravi and his workers were washing the engine from the ill-fated boat.
Over at Motiram’s house at Crabwood Creek, relatives were busy making a tent to prepare for a wake. Her daughter, Joy confirmed that her mother, who worked with a Surinamese businessman involved in the wildlife trade, never liked to wear a lifejacket.
Indranie Motiram
She said her mother travelled to Suriname about five days per week via the “backtrack” route and normally returned the same day. When her wildlife worked “slowed up,” Motiram traded flower plants and frozen chicken from that country, Joy said.
She recounted that around 8 pm on Friday after their mother had not returned home, her siblings checked with the landing and learnt that the boat was missing and that she was among the persons who were feared dead. A farmer tending his cows discovered her body around 9.30 am at the Springlands shore.
Henry’s mother, Louis Benjamin of Corriverton said her son who was attached to the Berbice Bridge project as an electrician had been spending time with her since last Tuesday. He left from her home to join the others on the trip. He leaves to mourn four children.
Last year February, two women died in a similar mishap. Hansrani known as ‘Buck’ of Annandale, East Coast Demerara and Cheryl Peters 335 Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara perished after the boat in which they were travelling ‘backtrack’ from Corriverton to Suriname capsized in the Corentyne River.
That boat, which had belonged to a Surinamese known only as “Amit” had left ‘Aunty’s Boat Landing’ at Number 78 Village, Corriverton with nine passengers on board heading for Nickerie, Suriname.
Just as with the Sevi 2, the boat had become entangled with a fishing seine and capsized. In the February incident, none of the passengers had been wearing lifejackets. However, seven of them had managed to hang onto the boat and other articles until they were rescued by other boats. Hansranie’s daughter had related that her mother had held on to the boat, but had drowned after someone attempting to salvage cargo had pulled a black bag over her head.
Peters, who was said to have been a strong swimmer, might have been attempting to swim to shore, when she encountered strong currents. Her body was discovered several days later, floating near Number 74 Village. Following that incident, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee had urged Guyanese travelling to Suriname to use the legal Corentyne crossing. However, there have been no moves to close down the illegal operators. (Shabna Ullah/Stabroek News)
‘Back track’ tragedy on Corentyne River Several dead after boat capsizes
Dead: Ena Davenport Hope
Superintendent Simon McBean, Deputy Police Commander in the region, told the Sunday Chronicle four bodies were recovered on the Corentyne shore by yesterday afternoon.
Three were found in the morning and a fourth was spotted later, he said. He said the dead included Sheila Gonsalves, 64, of Brooklyn, New York, who had brought the ashes of a brother who died in the US here for burial, and was returning to Guyana from a visit to Suriname.
The others whose bodies were found and identified by late yesterday afternoon were: Ena Hope, 31, of No 78 Village, Corriverton, and Indranie Motieram, 48, a wildlife trader of 25 Grant, Crabwood Creek, Corentyne. The fourth body was that of a female in her 40s, which was taken to the mortuary at the Skeldon Hospital to await identification, he said.
Leslie Owen Austin, 24, who survived the tragedy and was yesterday recovering in the Skeldon Hospital, told police he clung to a five-gallon fuel container after the boat’s engine became ensnared in a fishing seine in the river late Friday causing the vessel to overturn. Austin, of No 78 Village, Corriverton, said he drifted to the beach at No 62 Village, Corriverton, where he was found Friday night.
McBean said the survivor told police he and seven others, including the boat’s captain and owner, 48-year-old Indarjeet Ramdass, called Roy, also of No 78 Village, Corriverton, were returning from Nickerie, in Suriname to No 78 on the Guyana side of the river, when the boat capsized.
The bodies were found on the approximate six-mile stretch of shore between No. 54 and No. 69 villages, McBean said. The wooden boat that capsized was among dozens on daily illegal runs ferrying passengers and goods across the river by-passing customs and immigration outposts. McBean said police and Coast Guard are searching the river and shore for other survivors or bodies.
The Suriname military earlier this month seized a Guyanese-registered cargo vessel in the river as it neared Skeldon to pick up a load of sugar for export. Guyana protested the ship’s detention claiming Suriname is trying to unilaterally impose sovereignty over the Corentyne River. The ship was released after the captain paid a fine.
The detention at gunpoint of the ship and crew as it neared Skeldon to pick up a load of sugar for export triggered strong reactions from the Guyana Government, which said this latest provocation by Suriname was a direct threat to Guyana’s economic well-being. The vessel was chartered by the Guyana National Shipping Corporation to ferry the sugar from Skeldon to the Central Demerara Sugar Terminal in Port Georgetown.
President Bharrat Jagdeo told reporters that this country dispatched a “strong note verbal to the Surinamese authorities saying how concerned we are about this latest aggressive act and…that we will take all steps necessary to protect Guyanese interests.”
Responding to reports out of Suriname that the captain and crew were being held as illegal immigrants, Mr. Jagdeo said this was puzzling since the men were taken from the ship and escorted to Suriname. He also said that Guyana does not recognize the Suriname claim that a pilot from that country must be on board a ship using the river.
He said the imposition of a fine by the Suriname authorities on the Guyanese detained on the cargo ship “is not good enough for my government” because the Corentyne has the characteristics of a border river, including full user rights and access by both countries.
The United Nations ruled in favour of Guyana last year to set a border in a century-old dispute that involved an oil basin off the northeast coast of South America. The Guyana accusation recalled how Surinamese gunboats in June 2000 expelled Canada’s CGX Energy Inc from an offshore oil concession in disputed waters, prompting a freeze on exploration. Oil activity has resumed in recent weeks in Guyana due to last year's ruling by the UN International Law of the Sea tribunal.
President Jagdeo argued that although sovereignty over the Corentyne River has not been settled, it has the characteristics of a border river, including full user rights and access by both countries. “We have made it clear that border rivers have certain characteristics – either the sovereignty of the river is shared based on the median line…or countries that are contiguous to each other and have a river between them should both share full user rights of the river,” he said.
Dealing with the incident, Foreign Minister Ms. Carolyn Rodriques-Birkett in the National Assembly said that in the Arbitral Award of 1899 that settled the boundary with Venezuela, the tribunal ruled that the boundary in the Mururuma, Amakuru, Wenamu and Cotinga Rivers would be mid-stream.
In the award delimiting the boundary between Guyana and Brazil in 1904, it was ruled that “the frontier along the rivers Ireng (Mahu) and Tacutu...remains fixed by the Thalweg, and the said rivers will be open to free navigation of the two States bordering on it,” the minister told the National Assembly. “Suriname must be aware that that act has constituted a direct threat to Guyana’s economic well-being,” she said. (Sharief Khan and Jeune Bailey Van-Keric/Guyana Cronicle)
October 25, 2008
Gunmen shoot up Lethem-bound bus
Driver shot, passengers robbed
Lucky to be alive: Dhanram Singh at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre last night
Heavily armed bandits struck on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway last night, shooting the driver and a female passenger of a mini-bus that was heading to Lethem and robbing the travellers of cash and jewellery before escaping.
During the course of the incident, driver Dhanram Singh called ‘Bedi’ was grazed by a bullet in the back while Brazilian national, Barbara Ferreira was shot in her wrist.
Ferreira had run into the bushes as the incident unfolded and was not located until after 11 pm. Singh remained on the scene and was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre over an hour after the incident.
The attack occurred around 8:30 pm and the bus was carrying nine passengers; five Brazilians, two Surinamese, and two Guyanese, who were all heading to Lethem. Singh told Stabroek News that he left the Church Street office of the P&A Bus Service, at around 8 pm.
He recounted that he had passed the police outpost on the highway and was in the vicinity of Camp Wesleyan when he observed as a car followed him. He said that he became suspicious and sped up but the car followed and “flashed” him. “It start flashing me to stop but I speed up because I realize I ain’t know nobody on the highway”, he stated.
The car, followed and when it was apparent that Singh was not going to stop, the bandits started firing shots. The bandits, who he said, numbered around seven or eight, were in two cars. They shot out the back tyres of the mini-bus forcing him to stop. The driver stated that a number of shots were fired and some hit the seat that he was in but miraculously missed him.
After the vehicle was halted, the passengers were taken out of the vehicle and made to lie in the bushes. One group of heavily armed gunmen ransacked their luggage and also guarded them while another group patrolled the area. Singh said that the bandits had handguns and shotguns.
The gunmen stripped the passengers of cash and jewellery before getting back into their cars and heading back in the direction of the city. Earlier, after the bus had been stopped, Ferreira had run into the bushes. After the bandits left, the police were notified but Ferreira was not found and the immediate area was searched. At around 11 pm last night, the army arrived to assist in the search and shortly after, she was located. She had sustained a gunshot wound to her wrist.
Singh was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where doctors told him that he was lucky to be alive. His shoulder bone was said to have deflected the bullet. He was later referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he remained up to early this morning. There were no reports of anyone being caught up to press time.
There have been similar attacks in and around that area. Just over a year ago on October 1, 2007, two MMC Security Force guards were killed and two injured after they were ambushed by eight gunmen, who also hijacked their vehicle, at Sheribana Bridge in the Essequibo. Rodwell Clarke, 41, of 154 ‘D’ Field South Turkeyen and Warren Hutson died in the attack.
Around noon the men were on the MMC Security Force vehicle, escorting cash to the city when they came under attack. Chief Executive Officer of MMC Carl Morgan told Stabroek News that the four men, all constables employed with the firm, had just uplifted canisters with cash from the company’s ferry location in the interior when the incident occurred.
According to Morgan, just as the men approached the Sheribana area, they were ambushed by eight heavily armed men dressed in allover black outfits. On April 26, 2006 one person was injured and several others robbed at gunpoint after a bus with 41 persons en route to Lethem was attacked by six gunmen who appeared to be after a large sum of elections money which they thought would be on board.
Sources had told Stabroek News that it appeared that the gunmen may have gotten wind of a plan to transport $2M by road with elections workers who were headed to the region. However, arrangements for the transport of the money were changed at the last moment. (Gaulbert Sutherland/Stabroek News)
October 23, 2008
Teenage girl dies from poison after alleged rape
Suspect charged
Cindy Mahadeo
A 17-year-old girl of Auchlyne, Corentyne ingested a poisonous substance and died after a man allegedly raped her three Sundays ago and threatened that he would return to kill her. Dead is Cindy Mahadeo who was alone at home when the alleged incident occurred around 10 am.
According to reports, after the man committed the act, he told her he would return at 1 pm to kill her and she fearfully ingested the poisonous substance and subsequently sent a text message to a cousin informing her that she had drunk poison. Mahadeo was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she was admitted as a patient. She died on Thursday last.
On Friday, Premnauth Sugrim, said to be in his late 30s, was charged with rape at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court. Sugrim had been arrested and released just after the incident but after Mahadeo died he was rearrested and charged.
Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Michael Grant, objected to bail on the grounds of the seriousness and prevalence of the offence and the fact that the defendant and the victim’s family live in the same area. However, Magistrate Krishndat Persaud placed the man on $150,000 bail.
Meanwhile, Stabroek News was told that when relatives got the news that Mahadeo had ingested poison and rushed over to her house they found her in a hammock vomiting. Relatives said they tried to question the girl about her reason for drinking the poison but she was apparently too “shame fuh tell we.” She later told the doctors about the alleged rape and the information was passed on to relatives.
Mahadeo later related to her mother, Algama Mahadeo, a domestic worker that her assailant had asked her for a drink of water and when she went into the kitchen to get it, he followed her, threw her on the floor and performed the act.
The girl told her mother that she fought him and gave him several scratches on his neck and he slapped her. He also warned her not to tell anyone and even threatened that he would return at 1 pm to kill her. “After he tell she that she get scared and she drink the poison before one o’clock,” Ramdass told this newspaper yesterday.
Ramdass said she had made arrangements with the accused to renovate her kitchen and he was supposed to return in two weeks to start the work. “But he come before the two weeks and he know that me won’t a be home then,” she said. Mahadeo who dropped out of school two years ago after her father died was the second of three children. (Staff/Stabroek News)
Prisoner found dead in Brickdam lock-ups
Relatives believe he was killed, call for probe
James Nelson
A 47-year-old Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara man was discovered dead in the Brickdam Police Station lock-ups early yesterday morning with marks of violence about his body and his relatives believe that he sustained fatal injuries at the hands of the police.
Dead is James Nelson of Lot 7 Church Street, Stanleytown, a mason who has been suffering from mental problems over the years, but who would lead a normal life once he received treatment.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told Stabroek News that Nelson was arrested somewhere on Brickdam on Monday for behaving disorderly. He was detained at the Brickdam Police Station, Persaud said, and was discovered dead in a cell in the lock-ups, with bruises to his face.
A police press release issued later said Nelson was arrested around 10 am on Monday after he entered the compound of the Ministry of Home Affairs and began behaving disorderly, allegedly over a sum of money owed to him by a contractor who had sent him off the job.
The release said he was spoken to by a Special Constabulary officer on duty but continued to behave in a disorderly manner and had to be restrained. The rank subsequently arrested him and handed him over to a police patrol that had been summoned.
The release added that having passed through the procedures for prisoners at the Brickdam Police Station, Nelson was placed in the lock-ups where he remained throughout the night. There were 20 other prisoners in the lock-ups for various offences.
However, around 6.30 am yesterday, acting on information received from a prisoner, police ranks entered the lock-ups and found Nelson lying motionless in his cell. He was picked up and taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An examination of the body revealed a bruise over his right eye and a small cut over his left eye.
Other prisoners were questioned and they told the police that during the night Nelson was seen banging his head against the wall of the lock-ups. Contact was made with his sister Michelle Nelson of ‘D’ Field, Sophia, the police said, who confirmed that he would suffer from nervous breakdowns from time to time. The release said that a post-mortem examination would be conducted today.
Yesterday relatives expressed shock at the man’s sudden demise and complained about the way police officers at the station treated them. Many persons gathered outside the locked station gates as the news of Nelson’s death spread. Nelson’s wife Gloria told this newspaper that when she and other relatives arrived, the police took statements from them and they were told that they would see his body when the hearse arrived to take it away. However, the police did not keep their word; everyone was ordered out of the compound and the gate locked, she related.
Gloria said her husband’s eldest son from a previous union later saw the body and told her that Nelson’s face and hands were badly swollen, there were marks on his hands and there was also a gaping wound to the back of the head. She was adamant that Nelson would have been badly beaten and said she did not believe that the prisoners who were in the same cell did it. This was also the opinion of the other relatives.
Mental problems
Gloria said Nelson would suffer mental problems at least once a year, but he would be taken to the Psychiatric Clinic at the Georgetown Hospital or a private psychiatrist for treatment. Within a week, he would be back to his old self, she added.
Recounting his recent episode, she said the man fell ill last Thursday and though he was acting normally she could tell that something was wrong with him. They made plans to have the man seek medical attention on Monday. He was last seen early Sunday night, Gloria said, adding that when she contacted the man’s son on Monday morning, Nelson could not be located.
No one knew of the man’s whereabouts until the son received a telephone call some time after six on Tuesday morning saying that he was in the lock-ups. About half an hour later, the son got another call informing him that his father was dead. According to the woman, immediate contact was made with other relatives and they all made their way to the station where they were sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to give statements.
She told this newspaper that they were then informed that they would have a chance to identify the body, which was still lying in the lock-ups. However, that never happened, as everyone was told that they had to leave. “They put everybody out of the yard. They tell we how they don’t want everybody in the compound and that everybody must go on the road. Then they lock up the gate,” she said. Commenting on what may have sparked the man’s arrest, she said he may have been attempting to see an official at the ministry and when he was told that he could not he probably “started to behave bad”.
She said it might have been at this point that the police became involved in the matter
“They know everything that transpired in there. They know how he died… They didn’t want us to see him in that state that was why we were not shown the body,” the grieving widow said.
“We want justice for Jimmy. He [was] not a criminal for them to beat he so”, another relative said. Stabroek News understands that statements were also taken from the other prisoners who were in the same cell with Nelson. His relatives are calling for a thorough investigation into the incident so that those responsible can be held accountable.
There have been several cases recently of prisoners dying under suspicious circumstances while in police custody. On January 17, Ramesh Sawh was found hanging by his jersey in a cell at the Enmore lock-ups. Police denied claims that the man was beaten while in police custody.
In July, Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang ordered that the magistrate presiding at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court hold an inquest into the death. To date it has not started since it had to be postponed on two occasions owing to the absence of the jury and witnesses.
In June Surindranauth Bhoojnauth was found hanging by his belt in the Mahaica Police Station lock-ups. His relatives had said they found it odd that the belt and other items were not taken away from him, as is customary when placing someone in the lock-ups. A senior police at the station was questioned but nothing came out of the matter. (Zoisa Fraser/Stabroek News)
Suriname cop shot dead at checkpoint
Had 51 kilos of cocaine in car
A Surinamese policeman was shot and killed at a checkpoint in that country and searches of his car discovered some 51 kilos of cocaine and reports are that the drugs may have originated from Guyana.
According to media reports police officer Carlos Detimo was shot and killed last Saturday at a checkpoint in Nickerie by one of his colleagues who were manning the checkpoint. An investigation has been launched into the shooting and it is expected that it would also uncover the extent of Detimo’s involvement in the case.
Meanwhile, Detimo would not be given a funeral with police honours and no flag will be flown at half-mast following a policy decision by the police force in that country. (Staff/Stabroek News)
October 21, 2008
Woman, 68, murdered during Canal Polder robbery
Sexagenarian Budhai called ‘Roni’, of Lot ‘F’ Conservancy Dam, Canal Number Two Polder, West Bank Demerara, was murdered during a robbery at her home early yesterday morning.
The pensioner, 68, who lived with her 44-year-old daughter, Basmattie Rampersaud nicknamed ‘Sandy’ and granddaughter, Shivanie Rampersaud, 13, died at the hands of three bandits.
The other occupants of the house were asleep when the robbers gained entry by removing several window panes and opening the front door.
Basmattie Rampersaud, grieving over the loss, told the Guyana Chronicle she was awakened by the muffled screams of her mother in another bedroom, about midnight Sunday.
“I got up to investigate and I saw three men with my mother on the bed. She was already bound and gagged and, when they saw me, they hauled me into the bedroom and tied me up and threw me to the floor,” the survivor recalled in tears. She said the attackers, armed with knives and a handgun, ordered her not to look at their faces and also tied up her daughter.
The trio took away jewels worth about $1M, $150,000 cash and some foreign currency, said Basmattie. She lamented that her mother was not sick and was always busy around the house doing some chore. “They just took her life like that,” Basmattie mourned. She said the assailants stole beers, cake, cigarettes and two cell phones, too, from their small grocery.
Basmattie and her teenaged daughter, Shivanie Rampersaud, who survived the robbery yesterday, surrounded by neighbours.According to her, one of the bandits claimed he did not want to cooperate with the others in the killing. The victim was bound with a piece of the material used to package cement and duct taped her mouth and nose, so she could not breathe.
“After they threatened to rape my daughter, I told them where to find everything I had but they wanted more and I begged them to leave us, as that was all we had,” Basmattie said.
The traumatised teen, Shivanie confirmed that she was ordered not to look at the perpetrators and listened silently while her mother pleaded with the men not to hurt them.
The teenager said, when she was thrown to the floor, she hit herself and suffered a gash on her chin but was forced to remain lying beside her mother while the men demanded their booty.
The girl said the bandits spent about an hour in their house while the next door neighbour was having drinks and, as usual, playing music loudly. “We screamed but no one heard us because of the loud music,” she related, adding that they finally got to realise her grandmother was dead and alerted neighbours after untying themselves.
She said, after the robbery, the bandits telephoned for a car to transport them and one robber told her: “We are leaving ‘lil’ girl. Take care.” Shivanie remembered that, earlier that night, she had seen a man standing outside their house but did not bother to tell her mother. “I now realise that I should have told my mom, because she might have called the Police and prevented the robbery which claimed the life of my grandmother,” the girl said. (Guyana Cronicle)
One bandit dead after attack on Meadow Brook residence
Victim shot, injured in separate incident
Gunmen attacked Meadow Brook Gardens residents, in two separate incidents last night, wounding one resident and losing one of their own. The dead gunman, who this newspaper understands hails from Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, arrived at the Georgetown Public Hospital in a taxi and was pronounced dead on arrival. He had been shot by the owner of the house he and others had attempted to rob.
According to Vernon Forest, he was at his friend’s house in Meadow Brook Drive “having a drink” on the front verandah when the bandits suddenly appeared. “There were four of us, one woman included,” the man told Stabroek News at the hospital last night.
“I thought it was a joke,” Forest said. “…I realized it wasn’t a joke when one of the men pointed a gun at my head.” He said one of the bandits immediately grabbed a cell phone and $6,000 from one of his friends.
Police sources told this newspaper that the four gunmen, climbed onto the side verandah of Ian Bruce’s house at Meadow Brook Drive, and went through the open door into the house. The men then proceeded to the front verandah where they launched their surprise attack on the four people there. Forest said the owner of the house somehow managed to slip into his bedroom where he got his licensed firearm, emerged and shot one of the gunmen “point blank” in the chest.
As soon as this happened, Forest said, the four bandits all fled the scene on foot, with the wounded man trying his best to keep up. Further, according to Forest, he noticed a car approximately two houses away moving in the same direction the men were headed. “Imagine he lost his life for a cellular phone and $6, 000,” Forest stated. He said the bandits were wearing jackets with hoods and the hoods were pulled over their faces.
Some distance down the street, the wounded bandit hailed a taxi, which had been dispatched to Meadow Brook Drive to do a pickup. The driver who delivered the gunman to the hospital said he was contacted by his dispatcher and told to do a pick up in Meadow Brook Drive. He explained that as he was nearing his pick up point he heard a man call out to him, “this is your pick up”. Assuming that it was that person who had called the taxi, the driver stopped.
“He was bleeding when he come in the car,” the driver explained. “…so I rush with him to the hospital.” On arrival at the hospital with the man, who had by that time expired in the back seat of his car, the taxi driver was detained by the police for questioning.
Clearly distressed, the taxi driver said that he was only doing his job. “I learn my lesson now,” he said. “Innocent people will have to suffer now because I won’t pick up bleeding people now unless I know why they’re in that state.” Stabroek News arrived at the hospital just after 9.30 pm to learn that just one street away on Bamboo Drive, a 23-year-old man was making his way home when he was attacked by two gunmen.
Michael Reid was relieved of his cellular phone worth about $38,000 and sustained a gunshot wound to his left thigh. Up to press time last night, he was said to be in stable condition. Reid’s girlfriend said he was on his way home when he was attacked by two men, possibly from the group, which attempted to rob the house in Meadow Brook Drive.
Meanwhile, shortly before 10 pm, three women, one of whom was said to be the mother of the dead bandit, arrived at the police outpost at the hospital wailing and identified him as their family member. (Staff/Sara Bharrat/Stabroek News)
October 20, 2008
Men held in Foster murder probe released
Two men who were held in connection with the execution-style gunning down of 25-year-old Alicia Foster last Sunday were released after they were not recognised at an identification parade, a senior police officer said yesterday. The officer told Stabroek News that that the identification parade was held on Saturday and after the men were not identified they were released on station bail as investigations continue.
On Friday last acting Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene, had told reporters that a suspect fitting the description of the man who shot and killed the Senior Environmental Officer had been arrested. Police have ruled out robbery as the motive behind the killing of the young woman and while they say they are following several leads it appears as if the murder is far from being solved.
Foster, who has been described as an ambitious young woman with a bright future, was shot in the face minutes after she drove up to her David Street, Kitty home. While she was waiting on her sister to open the gate to drive into the yard she was approached by a man who demanded that she exit the car. She was then shot in the face and pulled from the vehicle. Her assailant then jumped into her car and drove away while his accomplice also fled the scene.
The day after the shooting, around 9 am, the woman’s car PHH 2236 was found abandoned at Well Road, North Ruimveldt minus the keys. The woman’s father James Foster had told Stabroek News that his daughter was not the victim of a carjacking or a robbery. He said nothing was taken from her except her life and he believed that something is amiss. He said he is prepared to allow the police to solve his daughter’s murder. (Staff/Stabroek News)
October 18, 2008
Suspect fitting description of Alicia Foster’s killer held
Alicia Foster
A suspect fitting the description of the man who shot and killed Senior Environmental Officer Alicia Foster on Sunday was arrested yesterday morning, Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene disclosed.
Greene was responding to questions from the media shortly before the commencement of the Guyana Police Force’s Annual Medal Presentation Ceremony held at the Tactical Services Unit Square, Eve Leary.
While stressing that last Sunday’s execution-style, David Street, Kitty murder is still under investigation, he told the media that “we picked up a suspect this morning. He is being interrogated at this point to see what evidence we may be able to produce from him. I can’t tell you where that is at this point in time but I know somebody fitting the description that was given to us was arrested this morning”.
Meanwhile police have ruled out robbery as the motive behind the fatal shooting of Foster and are following several leads as they struggle to solve the latest in a list of execution-style killings. The woman’s family, close friends and colleagues continue to wonder what could have sparked the incident which cost the environmentalist her life.
She was shot in the face minutes after she drove up to her David Street, Kitty home after attending a wake with a younger sister. She was waiting on the sister to open the gate so she could drive in when a man went up to her car and demanded that she get out.
It was at this point that she was shot in the face and flung from the vehicle. The gunman then jumped into her car and drove away while his accomplice also fled the scene. A post-mortem examination conducted on Wednesday revealed that she died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head. Foster is to be buried next Tuesday, a close relative told Stabroek News.
Many who knew Foster could only describe the incident as tragic and cold- blooded murder. Some spoke of her as someone who was making a difference in society and had a promising future ahead. It was a little before 10 pm when James Foster responded to the persistent sounding of the buzzer and looked outside to see Alicia lying on the road. Reports are that the gunman and another man had been laying in wait, watching as Alicia pulled up opposite the home.
The day after the shooting around 9 am, the woman’s car PHH 2236 was found abandoned at Well Road, North Ruimveldt minus the keys. The woman’s father James Foster had told Stabroek News that his daughter was not the victim of a carjacking or a robbery. He said nothing was taken from her except her life and he believed that something is amiss. He had no answers at the time but said someday it would come to light. Meanwhile, he was prepared to let the police handle the matter. (Staff/Stabroek News)
Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill Registering cell phones will allow security forces...
..... to keep tabs on criminals
The Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill of 2008, which seeks to have all cellular phones registered to enable the security forces to track down criminal elements, was yesterday passed in the National Assembly. The inclusion of that and accompanying provisions that amended the Telecommunications Act of 1990 received opposition from the People’s National Congress Reform and the Alliance for Change (AFC).
Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works and Communication, Samuel Hinds, in moving the second reading of the bill, said the legislation is necessary because it is geared to monitor and root out criminal elements of society. He contended that while the gadgets are used as tools in enhancing communication and linking the social circle, it has also been integrally used to effective plan and commission crimes here.
The Prime Minister told the National Assemble that the amended law will enable the law enforcement agencies to track the ownership of the phones used in crimes. Hinds pointed out that the some 120,000 land line phones in Guyana are subject to subscriber registration and can be scrutinised by the police when the need arises and he advocated the same be extended to internet based transmissions such as e-mail and SMS.
Such details, he said, will be recorded and stored at the cost of the licensee and will be reviewed every five years, but will be open for police monitoring during that period.
The Prime Minister stressed that the transfer of all cell phones and SIM cards must be registered, except in cases where it happens in the home, and those that are lost must be reported to the police. Hinds told the House that key stakeholders were consulted on the bill and during the parliamentary recess it was opened for query from the opposition. He said failure to comply with the legislation will result in defaulters paying a one million dollars fine and serving a six-month jail term.
Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin contended that the legislation is a machinery to support state repression. He said there was no talk about the bill three years ago during a time of violent crimes, and his party was not consulted on the legislation. Corbin also expressed concerns that the legislation will prevent young people from owning cell phones as they will have to satisfy a list of onerous provisions.
Local Government Minister, Kellawan Lall, supported the Prime Minister’s position, stating that the trust is to help the security forces to deal with the complexities of crime today and that Corbin’s assertions are baseless.
AFC Leader Raphael Trotman, like Corbin, said the provisions of the legislation are too onerous and he believes that it may criminalise citizens who for various reasons did not get registered because of the lengthy process. He also expressed concerns that the lending of cell phones and SIM cards among family and friends outside the home setting for an extended period will constitute an offence.
Minister Rohee implored the House to view the bill in light of national security concerns, especially in the instance where “Skinny” who escaped from the police, ended up with “Fineman”. He pointed out that the legislation is not about state control but is one of a regulatory nature to address the security situation.
The Home Affairs Minister said the Telecommunications Sector has the biggest challenge in the 21st century, and failure to recognise this is like burying your head in the sand. If the state does not address this problem, he contended, the same opposition members who are against the bill will say the government is irresponsible.
The minister further pointed out that Trotman’s arguments about criminalising young people and the onerous registration process are mere political statements, irrelevant to the bill. The Prime Minister in his final statements to the house, rebutted Corbin’s claims that the bill is repressive, pointing out that it instead seeks to protect the lives of decent and law abiding people of society.
He also emphasised that the legislation does not aim to criminalise people, but to make them responsible. (Tajeram Mohabir/Guyana Cronicle)
Guyanese cargo ship seized by Suriname returns to Skeldon
The Guyanese-owned cargo ship seized Tuesday by the Suriname military in the border Corentyne River between the two countries returned yesterday afternoon to Skeldon where it began loading sugar for export, the ship’s owner said.
Mr. Kampta Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle its scheduled return to Skeldon yesterday morning was delayed because a Suriname pilot was not available to be on board to escort it from Nickerie where the captain and crew were detained with the ship - the ‘MV Lady Chandra 1’.
The captain was kept in a lock-up in Nickerie while the crew remained on the ship in detention, he said. The men and ship left Nickerie with a Suriname pilot who departed the Guyanese vessel when it reached the buoy off Nickerie, he said. The vessel with a 560 tonnes hold is due to leave the Guyana Sugar Corporation terminal at Skeldon for Georgetown this morning with the shipment of sugar, he said.
Persaud said the Surinamese military imposed a fine on the captain of the ship but he was not clear on the details of the charge against the Guyanese detained. The captain, crew and the vessel detained at the Nickerie port on the Suriname side of the river were released Wednesday night. The vessel was chartered by the Guyana National Shipping Corporation to ferry the sugar from Skeldon to the Central Demerara Sugar Terminal in Port Georgetown.
President Bharrat Jagdeo told reporters Wednesday that this country dispatched a “strong note verbal to the Surinamese authorities saying how concerned we are about this latest aggressive act and…that we will take all steps necessary to protect Guyanese interests.”
Responding to reports out of Suriname that the captain and crew were being held as illegal immigrants, Mr. Jagdeo said this was puzzling since the men were taken from the ship and escorted to Suriname. He also said that Guyana does not recognise the Suriname claim that a pilot from that country must be on board a ship using the river.
He said the imposition of a fine by the Suriname authorities on the Guyanese detained on the cargo ship “is not good enough for my government” because the Corentyne has the characteristics of a border river, including full user rights and access by both countries.
The United Nations ruled in favour of Guyana last year to set a border in a century-old dispute that included an oil basin off the northeast coast of South America. The Guyana accusation recalled how Surinamese gunboats in June 2000 expelled Canada’s CGX Energy Inc from an offshore oil concession in disputed waters, prompting a freeze on exploration.
Oil activity has resumed in recent weeks in Guyana due to last year's ruling by the UN International Law of the Sea tribunal. President Jagdeo argued that although sovereignty over the Corentyne River has not been settled, it has the characteristics of a border river, including full user rights and access by both countries.
He said the UN tribunal in its ruling about a year ago giving Guyana rights over almost all the offshore territory also found that the eviction of the CGX rig by Suriname was an act of aggression “and that seems to be a pattern with the Surinamese authorities”.
The President said Guyana sought the route of international law after that incident and it was vindicated but its response may not always be the same in the face of the pattern of aggression by the former Dutch colony.
He said after a similar incident about a month ago and the non-response from Suriname to Guyana’s complaint, “I thought it necessary that we go beyond just seeking to make contact with the Head of State of that country (and) we (Tuesday) sent off a strong note verbal to the Surinamese authorities saying how concerned we are about this latest aggressive act and secondly that we will take all steps necessary to protect Guyanese interests.”
“We have made it clear that border rivers have certain characteristics – either the sovereignty of the river is shared based on the median line…or countries that are contiguous to each other and have a river between them should both share full user rights of the river”, he said. (Guyana Cronicle)
October 17, 2008
At Goed Fortuin
Rescuer knifed to death by village bully
Kenneth Allen
Attempting to stop a group of men from assaulting another man, a 27-year-old mason was stabbed to death at Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara on Wednesday night.
Dead is Kenneth Allen, a father of two and a mason/carpenter of Goed Fortuin Squatting Area. The suspect in the murder fled after the incident and up to yesterday afternoon was not captured. The second murder in the community in just three days left residents shocked. “Is wah happening to this place”, one woman questioned.
Allen had intervened in the dispute, when his attacker turned on him. His aunt, Cheryl Josiah, with whom he lived, told Stabroek News that she was lying on her bed, when she heard a noise and recognized the voice of her nephew sometime after 9 pm that night. Allen was at a ‘wake’ just across the road shortly before the incident.
Josiah related that when she looked outside, she saw the suspect, who also lives in the village and is well known in the area. She also noticed the man, who was reportedly being attacked. She stated that Allen and the suspect were arguing, with Allen telling the man that he was “taking advantage because he was big and strong” and the suspect asking Allen how he got involved.
Josiah stated that the man who was reportedly being attacked had just returned from Venezuela that day and the suspect, along with three other men were trying to rob him. “They came up there and they started attacking the guy and that is when my nephew talked to them”, she stated.
Josiah stated that the suspect and her nephew then began “chucking” each other and started to fight. She recalled that as they fought, they moved away from the culvert, near her home and moved up the street. The woman, who was on her verandah by this time, said that she watched as the duo slammed into a neighbour’s gate.
She said that Allen then staggered after being stabbed but the suspect rushed to him and the fight continued. Then Allen fell to the ground and Josiah said that at this point, he was stabbed again. The woman stated that the two continued scuffling on the ground and got up, with the fight still continuing.
Josiah said that, holding on to the suspect’s sweater, her nephew began to slide down the fence and it was at this point that the three men, with whom he was before, held on to the suspect. Allen had his attacker’s sweater in his grasp and the man twisted out of it.
By this time, Josiah had run downstairs and when she got to Allen, he was “gasping”. A few minutes later, she said, he stopped and the police were called while he was transported to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. But he was already dead. Doctors at the institution told her that he was stabbed in his lungs and heart. Josiah said that Allen had three major wounds on his left arm, upper chest and left side.
The attacker and his friends ran away. The blood-soaked sweater was left behind and handed over to the police yesterday. The attacker reportedly left the area in a white car. The suspect is said to be well known in the village for his troublesome ways.
A grieving Josiah related that Allen had grown up with her and up to his death resided at her home with his reputed wife, Bhagwandin Persaud and their two children; a five-year-old boy and a one-month-old girl. She described him as “very jovial”, and a person who made friends wherever he went. Allen also leaves to mourn his parents, two brothers and two sisters.
His murder was the second in three days in the community and he lived in the same street, a short distance away from the first murder. On Monday, 25-year-old Nafeeza Khan was stabbed to death allegedly by her reputed husband, Mohan Basdeo. He was charged and appeared in court yesterday and was remanded to prison. (Gaulbert Sutherland/Stabroek News)
Magistrates order 4,000 pirated discs destroyed
The steamroller went into action shortly before noon at the San Fernando City Corporation's complex on Carib Street.
(Trinidad Express) Soca Hits for 2008 and Sizzila, along with movie titles such as Bee Movie, Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girl and Transformers were among more than 4,000 pirated music CDs and DVDs that were crushed by a steamroller Wednesday under police guard.
The destroyed material was then placed in boxes and escorted by officers for burial at a dump at the back of the Roodal Cemetery in San Fernando.
The steamroller went into action shortly before noon at the San Fernando City Corporation's complex on Carib Street. The CDs and DVDs were seized by police in recent months on High and Mucurapo Streets, San Fernando.
Magistrates Alicia Shankar, in the San Fernando Fourth Court, and Taramatie Ramdass, in the Fifth Court, ordered the items be destroyed. An official of the Anti-Piracy Unit of the Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT) witnessed the crushing of the CDs and DVDs, which were said to be valued at more than TT$45,000.
The COTT official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his work, said since April a shift had been noted from music CDs to DVDs by the pirates, but he noted that COTT was only responsible for the music CDs and not movie DVDs.
However, he warned that under the new 2008 Copyright Amendment Act, DVD club owners and people who were caught selling, making and distributing pirated music and movies would now have to pay fines of up to $250,000 and spend up to ten years in prison. The official added: "If the equipment used for making CDs and DVDs is seized, we will ask if the computer could be released to COTT, so that it could be repaired and donated to schools."
Responding to yesterday's action, a man who has been selling pirated music on Pointe-a-Pierre Road, San Fernando, for the past 17 years, said: "I don't deal in selling local music and COTT cannot distress me for selling music from the US. They are saying that the music pirates should pay for a COTT licence, but they don't care about the poor people who don't have the money to get one; so instead of people going and steal, they try and do something to assist their families."
He added: "The money that we have to pay if caught, who does that go to? They are trying to distress us. We on the streets have to pay COTT $1,500 to $1,900 every year for a DJ licence so that we can play our music on the road."
Another music pirate said he knew what he was doing was illegal, but it was "the right thing". He felt, however, that music pirates and artistes should come together and work out a minimum per cent so that everyone would be happy.
"I think that COTT should talk to us so that we could sit with COTT and artistes and work something out, so that when the artistes' music is sold as a pirated copy they would be able to make money from it as well. Most people don't even buy originals." (Guyana Cronicle)
Surinamese aggression most baffling
It would seem that Suriname is bent on persisting with its military aggression against Guyana as it constantly seizes vessels plying the Corentyne River which are obviously on peaceful business.
The latest unfortunate incident, following several previous incidents where Guyanese fishermen and their vessels were held up by the Surinamese military, involves a contracted vessel Lady Chandra I which transports sugar from Skeldon to the Georgetown bulk terminal.
All the vessels held have been non-military, commercial ones so the pretense of military interference or provocation from Guyana definitely cannot be used by Suriname as an excuse for its most unworthy and ill-guided action.
This deliberate action by Suriname smacks of provocation and gross disrespect for a neighbour and fellow CARICOM member state which does not serve any constructive purpose for either country. On the contrary, it only heightens tension and complicates bilateral relations.
One would have thought that following the ruling by the UN Tribunal on the Law of the Sea which is binding on both parties, more sensible, harmonious and reasonable border policy would have been adopted by the Surinamese. However, this does not seem to be the case and one gets the impression that our eastern neighbour is still bitter over the UN Arbitral Award, which Guyana used as a last resort to settle the maritime boundary dispute, having exhausted all other bilateral and multilateral options.
So it baffles the mind as to what is the source of this aggression and why such a policy is maintained. Surely there is nothing to be gained from it. On the other hand it can only lead to losses.
Another interesting question that springs to mind is whether it was just coincidental that the spurious Surinamese action occurred when CGX resumed its seismic operations? Or is it a case of sending a message of intimidation? But here again if that is the message from Suriname what good does it serve because CGX operations are now protected by international law.
One can only speculate as to the rationale and reasons behind the Surinamese action until the matter is fully ventilated. However, at the moment, the aggressor has been very silent with no information forthcoming from the authorities. Perhaps, they are still in the process of concocting some form of defence which by any stretch of imagination will be a difficult task, because the aggression clearly is unjustifiable and condemnatory.
From Guyana’s standpoint, President Jagdeo has taken a firm position assuring : “We are not taking any option off the table at this time. We choose the diplomatic route first but that doesn’t mean that we are not prepared to vociferously and strenuously defend our interests.”
It is also noteworthy that the President has briefed Opposition Leader Mr. Robert Corbin and AFC leader Mr. Raphael Trotman, as such matters are of national importance and transcend partisan political interests.
However, this matter has to be pursued in a vigorous and comprehensive manner to bring a permanent solution because Suriname cannot be allowed to pursue such aggression against our commercial vessels any time they feel to do so. And from all indications it would seem that they intend to continue this policy of harassing our commercial vessels.
If a permanent solution is not found through the diplomatic route then it could lead to other confrontations which Guyana definitely wants to avoid. And this was conceded by the President: “We are not an aggressive country,” noting that since Guyana’s independence from Britain in May 1966, “we have always relied heavily on diplomacy in safeguarding our sovereignty, in pursuing our interests, and we have done so successfully.”
Let us now work towards bringing a permanent solution to this misguided Surinamese aggression. (Guyana Cronicle)
October 15, 2008
Woman hacked to death over text
Mother also chopped
Rolyn Alexander
A 23-year-old mother of one of PNC Dam, D’ Edward Village, West Berbice was brutally hacked to death around 5 pm yesterday after she objected to a text message her husband had received.
The woman, Trevlyn Nicholson bled to death on the dam close to her home. Her mother, 48-year-old Rolyn Alexander who witnessed the incident and tried to intervene was also severely chopped.
Alexander was rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital and immediately transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
According to reports, the suspect, Andy Nicholson first hit the woman behind her neck with a garden fork before hacking her several times with a chopper. He then chopped Alexander on her forehead and other parts of her body.
Trevlyn Nicholson and her husband Andy Nicholson
The dead woman’s 16-year-old sister, Alexis Kingston told Stabroek News that she was not around at the time but learnt that the two had gone to the sea-dam to bring home their cattle. She said the murder reportedly occurred because of a text message that the suspect had received on his cell phone which read, “[name], I still love you.”
Persons who witnessed the incident said that Nicholson confronted him about the message and a heated argument ensued. The suspect then ran home and grabbed the fork and the chopper. The man then proceeded to end the life of the woman whom he had been married to for only four months even as persons looked on helplessly.
Reports are that the woman had tried desperately to run to safety but she fell. Before being married, the two had shared a common-law relationship for about four years and since then Nicholson was constantly being abused. A cousin, 18-year-old Showin who lived in the same house said that whenever the two had an argument he would stand between them so as to prevent the suspect from hitting her.
This newspaper was there when Showin arrived at the scene and started to scream. He even attempted to lift the body off the dam and had to be restrained by the police. A large crowd of curious residents had gathered at the scene and had to be constantly told by the police not to go too close.
Meanwhile relatives told this newspaper that on several occasions the man had threatened to kill her and end his life and they were not surprised that he had made good on one part of his threat so far. They had pleaded with the woman to leave him and she had finally made up her mind to do so and move to Georgetown with her son.
Vowed
Meanwhile, bandaged, bruised and praying under her breath Rolyn was wheeled into the Georgetown Public Hospital last night shortly after 8 pm. The blood-soaked bandage wrapped around her head was foremost on her mind when Stabroek News spoke with her sometime after. She was worried that her injuries may be more serious than they appear.
Doctors listed her condition as stable at the hospital last night and she had been conscious since leaving Fort Wellington hospital. Ac-cording to a neighbour, who accompanied her to the city, she spoke all the way down “talking mostly about she dead girl”.
The image of her daughter slumped on the ground and the man hacking away at her haunted Alexander as she recounted the grim details of what transpired. She said the couple’s union had been plagued by a series of domestic spats, but that nothing prepared her for last night.
“Ah watch he chopping me daughter in she head and slashing she neck and ah freeze for a minute before rushing over fuh help she”, the woman recounted in tears. She took a few seconds to calm down then started talking again, recounting how it all started in the afternoon with a row.
She said the couple was quarreling intensely and that she only received word of it sometime after the row had erupted. Alexander decided to go over to the home and talk with them both, but when she arrived the row had deepened. Still, she tried reasoning with the couple to stop the fighting.
The murder weapon recovered at the scene
According to her, everything happened quickly and in a matter of minutes the man was armed and attacking her daughter. Alexander related that she was so stunned at how fast the man was moving, and also that everything was unfolding before her 5-year-old grandson.
But without thinking she rushed over and threw herself in the middle of it all. She said the man dealt her a few chops then turned his attention to her daughter a second time hacking away on her “again and again”.
“Is ma hand and foot he tek from me and I had to watch, he mek he watch”, she said shaking her head. She spoke often during the interview of her grandson. Alexander vowed that she would take care of the child as her daughter cared for her. The woman also commented on how the man had only married her daughter a short while ago, and that he was always accusing her of having an affair. She said that it was one accusation after another.
Alexander was very worried about her condition and immediately after the interview started praying. The woman she that she will continue to pray for God to spare her life so that she could look after her grandson. (Shabna Ullah and Iana Seales/Stabroek News)
October 14, 2008
Killer carjackers abandon car
No robbery, says family
Alicia Foster’s car, which was hijacked after she was shot and pulled from it, parked in compound of the Brickdam police station yesterday. (Jules Gibson photo)
The sound of a single gunshot rang out in Kitty on Sunday night outside the David Street home of the Fosters; minutes later Alicia Foster was flat on the road, flung from her car after being shot in the face. She died at the Georgetown Public Hospital a short while later.
At only 26, it was the end of a young life that had known accomplishment and still held much promise. Her academic records tell the story of a young woman who excelled at school from an early age; her promotions at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reflected her commitment, while her work in the Leo Club demonstrated her compassion.
Though Alicia appeared far gone when her family rushed out and found her, many close to her believe she was conscious enough to feel them there. According to a friend, “she must have grieved for them [family], the future she had so planned out and for life itself in those last breaths.”
Her father, James Foster described watching his eldest child lie on the road in such a manner as, “immensely painful”. It was a little before 10 pm when he responded to the persistent sounding of the buzzer and looked outside to see his daughter on the road, and his younger daughter, Marissa in an emotional state. Reports are that the gunman and another man had been laying in wait, watching as Alicia pulled up opposite the home.
In a press release issued yesterday, police said Foster and her young sister were returning home in motorcar PHH 2236 when the incident occurred. On arriving home, the younger sister Marissa was opening the gate to the premises when a man armed with a firearm approached and demanded that the woman exit the vehicle. She refused and the man fired one round that struck her in the face.
The gunman then pulled her out of the car and drove it away. According to the police, the gunman was joined by a male accomplice who was standing on the southern side of the street and they escaped together. The police also said the car was found abandoned at Well Road, North Ruimveldt yesterday around 9 am minus the keys. The investigation is continuing.
Something special
Visibly shaken and struggling to maintain his composure, James Foster told Stabroek News that his daughter was not the victim of a carjacking or a robbery. He said nothing was taken from her except her life and he believed that something is amiss. He had no answers at the time but said someday it would come to light. Meanwhile, he was resigned to let the police handle the matter while his family tries to recover from the loss.
He remembered Alicia as a natural achiever, recalling that she always did well at school up until she graduated from the University of Guyana with a degree in Biology. She dreamed about pursuing a Masters Degree in the same field overseas some time in the not too distant future and later, a PHD. She also took up Portuguese recently, in hopes of mastering the language within the next year.
“She would go hours into the night on projects from the Leo Club helping out people in need at any time of the day. She was something special, and would say some of the most meaningful things to me. We are going to miss her,” the father said, choking up.
Alicia Foster
The experience of Sunday night is so wounding that Foster prefers not to speak of it and simply remember his daughter before the tragic incident. He last spoke with her on Sunday around noon when she was called to have lunch with the family.
She opted out, saying she had to run out. She went home twice on Sunday night; once to drop off someone at the residence and again when she returned with her sister; he did not see her that night until she was lying on the road.
Foster said he had long encouraged his four children including Alicia to think of life outside Guyana and to focus on relocating as they grow older. “This [death] is the reason why I tell them to think about it. My family has never had such a tragedy and look where it has hit us. We have lost Alicia,” he added.
Foster was a Senior Environmental Officer (Acting) at the EPA, assigned to the Complaints and Response Unit of the Environmental Manage-ment Division (EMD). In a statement, the management and staff of the EPA extended condolences to her family, relatives and friends.
She was the Agency’s representative on the Board of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the National Water Council, and had successfully coordinated activities on the monitoring and closure of Omai Gold Mines Ltd.
She had also done a considerable amount of work in the forestry and mining sectors, and was instrumental in training new recruits. The statement described to her as a highly disciplined, dedicated, committed and personable individual, who made a significant contribution to the EPA.
“Ms Foster had a genuine interest in environmental issues particularly in the areas of Waste Manage-ment, Natural Resources Management, Pollution Prevention and Ecosystem and Environmental Asses-sment”, the statement said. Director (Acting) of the EMD Mr Khalid Alladin said her high level of proficiency and her care and consideration for others were reflected in her being one of the pillars for the success, unity and teamwork of the Division.
Her passing has certainly left a vacuum within the Division. Other staff echoed similar sentiments, he added. (Staff/Stabroek News)
October 07, 2008
Yet another prisoner death
A 51-year-old remand inmate of the New Amsterdam prison died Sunday before receiving medical attention at the New Amsterdam Hospital. Reports reaching the Chronicle states that Cheddi Brijbilal, formerly of Mibicuri South, Black Bush Polder, had sometime after 06:30 h complained to other inmates in his cell that he was feeling unwell.
He opted to relax; but as his condition worsened, prison authorities took him to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he succumbed before seeing a medical practitioner. A post mortem is to be conducted to determine the cause of death. Brijbilal’s death brings to four the number of sudden deaths of inmates in the country’s jails recently.
On July 11, Edwin Niles, 30, of Guyhoc Park, who was incarcerated at the Camp Street penitentiary on a narcotics charge, died at the Georgetown Hospital. He was admitted at the institution on July 3 with a broken arm and burns on his shoulders, back and buttocks. Niles reportedly received a sound beating after he was found with seven .22 rounds of ammunition in his possession upon his return to the prison from a day of labour at Camp Ayanganna. Niles was serving a three-year sentence for narcotics possession and was to have been released sometime in September.
Two Assistant Superintendents of Prison (ASP), Kurt Corbin, 30, of N 27 George Avenue, Lamaha Springs, and Gladwin Samuels, 26, formerly of Bartica and of 89 Oronoque Street, Bourda, have since appeared in court to answer a charge of manslaughter in relation to Niles’s death. They are each on $500, 000 bail, and are to make another court appearance on October 14.
Another prisoner, Nolan Noble, 30, who was remanded a few years ago in connection with the stabbing death of a Linden basketball player, was found dead in his Camp Street cell on Saturday, July 26. And, Anand Sukdeo, 34, of Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo, died on September 23 at the Leonora Diagnostic Centre, West Coast Demerara, where he was a patient.
The prisoner who was on remand at the Camp Street Prison on a charge of damage to property, had gone to the Leonora Magistrate’s Court to keep a court date when he took ill and had to be admitted at the community hospital. (Wendella Davidson/Guyana Cronicle)
October 04, 2008
Regent St arms find
Trini released; habeas corpus for Hutson
Joseph Aboud
Investigators yesterday released Trinidadian Joseph Aboud three days after he turned himself in for questioning into allegations of the illegal importation of firearms and ammunition; and they are in contact with Interpol over another detainee, businessman Clayton Hutson.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud yesterday told Stabroek News that the red notice was out but Hutson’s lawyer, Joseph Harmon, said he had no knowledge of this. It is not clear what matter the red notice is for, or for which country. Police had issued wanted bulletins for Aboud, Hutson and Frankie Ross last Friday, after a cache of arms and ammunition and other articles were found at a Regent Street, Bourda house.
Aboud turned himself in at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters, Eve Leary on Tuesday with his lawyer Mark Waldron. Investigators released the man 72 hours later, after Waldron secured an order from the High Court for the police to show cause why he should not be released. No charges were laid nor was he released on station bail like the three women who were arrested at the house the day after the discovery was made. In addition, the police have not instructed the man to return at any time for further questioning.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that on Thursday, Waldron filed Habeas Corpus proceedings in the High Court and Justice Roxanne George heard the matter. The judge subsequently issued a Nisi order compelling the police to show cause why Aboud should not be released and adjourned the matter to 1.30 pm the following day (yesterday). However, sometime before lunch yesterday, the police told the man that he was free to go.
A source pointed out to this newspaper that the police had operated as if they had all the evidence in the world against Aboud to lay a charge, but instead released the man the day after his lawyer moved to the High Court to secure his release.
The source noted that Aboud had to be subjected to his photograph and biographic details being published in the local print media, which in the end turned out to be for nothing. This newspaper was further told that it was not easy being grilled and kept in the Brickdam Police Station lock-up for three days and then told that you are free to go without a single charge or indication that there will be further questioning. Stabroek News made an effort to speak with Aboud yesterday but was unsuccessful.
Interpol and Hutson
Clayton Hutson
Up to press time last evening, Hutson was still being held. Harmon told Stabroek News yesterday that Habeas Corpus proceedings had been filed in the High Court in an attempt to secure his client’s release. The matter came up before Justice George and will be again heard this morning. Hutson’s 72 hours in police custody will be up at 10 am today.
Meanwhile, the Crime Chief said yesterday that there was a red notice out for Hutson and local law enforcement officers have informed Interpol that he is in custody. Persaud said too that there had been no further developments in the Regent Street arms bust investigation that could be released to the media at this time.
Asked if the three women initially held will be charged, Persaud responded that they were still on bail.
Harmon said yesterday morning that his client had told him that he was unaware of the Interpol red notice but stressed that the issue did not have a bearing on the present situation.
He said that Interpol was an international body that had no local jurisdiction and pointed out that with such a notice a person who has committed an offence can only be arrested once he enters any other country.
The attorney pointed out that if Hutson was alleged to have committed a crime here; the local police have to deal with it.
He said he knew nothing about the local police informing Interpol of his client’s detention. Interpol circulates internationally, at the request of member countries, notices containing identification details and judicial information about wanted persons.
The organization says on its website, ‘An Interpol Red Notice’ is not an international arrest warrant. The persons concerned are wanted by national jurisdictions (or the International Criminal Tribunals, where appropriate) and Interpol’s role is to assist the national police forces in identifying or locating those persons with a view to their arrest and extradition.
These red notices allow the warrant to be circulated worldwide with the request that the wanted person be arrested with a view to extradition, the website said. A distinction was also drawn between two types of red notice: the first is based on an arrest warrant and is issued for a person wanted for prosecution; the second type is based on a court decision for a person wanted to serve a sentence.
Where is Frankie Ross?
Frankie Ross
Ross, who is closely related to the three women arrested, was said to be the owner of the barrel that the joint services say they found the weapons in. However there has been no sign of the 23-year-old man who police seem to know little about.
Authorities said they have no clue where the man might be but some sources said Ross might have fled the country while others believe he might just be lying low until the right time comes to turn himself in. Several police officers told this newspaper last evening that law enforcement officials are no closer to finding the man.
Police had said in a release that members of the joint services searched the Lot 120 Regent Street address and discovered an AK-47 rifle with the number filed off; a pistol with a silencer; a Mossberg shotgun; 713 rounds of ammunition of various calibre; 7 magazines for different firearms; a green camouflage water bottle and a green canvas pouch. The police had said that the items were in a barrel.
Sources however have told this newspaper that the items were not discovered in a barrel but rather were in a bag that was handed over to an army official. That bag was passed on to a senior official and members of the military later descended on the home and carried out a search. The police were later informed and removed a barrel from the house.
Contacted on this, army Public Relations Officer Woman Lt Col Windee Algernon said members of the joint services had searched the house and found the articles. Crime Chief Persaud had told this newspaper when asked, that the items were found in a barrel under the house as was stated in the police release.
Asked why the women were not arrested when the discovery was made, he said no one was there at the time. Ballistics tests have revealed that the weapons have not been used in any crimes committed here. (Staff/Stabroek News)
October 02, 2008
Rohee points to border control stumping gun crimes
As police destroy old arms
Police Commissioner Henry Greene (left) and Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee (second from left) observing the destruction of the weapons
Guyana will strengthen the control of its porous borders and increase security cooperation with its neighbours to help curb the distribution and use of small arms by criminal networks here, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said yesterday as the police destroyed old and outdated firearms.
Rohee’s comments came against the background that both Brazil and Venezuela, countries with which Guyana shares vast, mostly unmanned borders are small arms manufacturers.
It has long been surmised that much of the arms and ammunition proliferating in the country at present would have been smuggled through these borders.
Addressing those gathered to witness the destruction of the obsolete firearms at the Police Officers Mess, Eve Leary, Georgetown, Rohee said, “The proportion of homicides committed with a handgun is still relatively high and we need to constantly keep working to bring it down.”
He said government was also moving aggressively to transform the security architecture of the country, a process that has been making an impact on criminality and the criminal underworld.
He noted that small arms control continued to be high on the international agenda and more attention was being paid to the demand reduction aspects of small arms violence.
Quoting local statistics, Rohee said that handguns account for more than 38% of homicides, while shotguns account for 6.5%. He added that only 3.2 per cent of homicides were committed with the use of rifles and other weapons accounted for a similar amount. According to the minister, in ‘A’ Division, 48.9% of the 279 occurrences involved the use of a firearm. However, he said, law enforcement has also had its successes, finding and seizing illegal firearms on a regular basis.
He revealed that between June and September last year, 104 firearms were seized while for the same period this year, 107 have been seized and that ‘A’ and ‘E & F’ divisions recovered the most. Pointing to the recent weapons find by the joint services on Regent Street, he said it was an indication that the law enforcement agencies have neither given up nor become complacent.
Officers of the Guyana Police Force looked on as some of the old weapons were being disassembled and destroyed yesterday.
Rohee said those who live and work in the criminal world were already feeling the impact of the work being done as the law enforcement agencies and the joint services were “dealing blow after blow to the criminals and their organizations in Guyana”.
He said efforts which began since in 1993 with the passage of 23 pieces of anti-crime legislation, with four more yet to come, were all part of the transformation in the anti-crime architecture of the country.
The minister also promised a heightening of the implementation process of the Citizen’s Security Programme in another six months. He said the programme would bring about a “sea change” in all the law enforcement agencies and their respective technological and human resource capacities. “To all those who are interested I advise you to stay tuned,” Rohee advised.
He also urged that persons ignore the attention still being paid to “those who seem sorry to know that the ‘Fineman’ gang is now virtually decimated.” The minister said that some 30 of the gang members were incarcerated and awaiting trial, 11 dangerous criminals have since been killed in shoot-outs with the joint services and the rest are being “hounded down day and night”.
He said that the network the gang had established was slowly but surely being dismantled. He acknowledged that there were still challenges and that government, “don’t believe in burying our heads in the sand and to pretend that with Fineman’s demise it is now easy sailing. On the contrary, the struggle, the struggle continues. The storm may be over but the sea is still rough. That’s why we have to remain tough.”
Rohee also pointed out that Guyana has since taken the necessary step to establish a task force on narcotics and illicit weapons, which he said was in fulfilment of the United Nations programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.
He expressed his hope that Guyana would soon endorse the Geneva Declaration and Programme of action on armed violence and development. The declaration represents an important new process, which addresses demand reduction concerns of developing countries who are not manufacturers of such weapons, Rohee said. (Staff/Stabroek News)
October 01, 2008
Bandits held after shoot-out with police
Robbery aborted after woman screamed
Two men were arrested yesterday after police in Berbice discovered an unlicenced .32 semi automatic pistol and a matching round while conducting investigations into a report of assault with intent to commit robbery.
Police said that at about 5.30 am, Sookdeo Mitho, 63 and his wife, Somattie Mitho, 61, were attacked at their No. 76 Village, Corentyne home by three men, two of whom were armed with guns. The men had entered the house through an open door and held the couple by their necks. When the woman screamed, the men released the couple and made good their escape.
Police followed up on the report and with help from the community policing group, the three men suspected of carrying out the attack were found along the beach at No. 74 Village, Corentyne.
The men opened fire on the police, who engaged them. Two of the men were subsequently arrested and the gun and ammunition was recovered while the third escaped. The men arrested gave their addresses as Princes Street and Hill Street in Georgetown. (Staff/Stabroek News)
Prisoner flees from hospital
Another prisoner has escaped, this time from Ward B2 of the Georgetown Public Hospital. The man, Joel Fraser, called Quincy London, escaped sometime during the wee hours of yesterday morning. Director of Prisons, Dale Erskine confirmed that the man had escaped but said that he is not yet sure of the circumstances of the getaway.
Fraser was on remand for possession of narcotics and was admitted to the hospital some four days ago for observation for a medical complaint. Erskine said that the man was supposed to be under guard and investigations will have to be carried out to determine the circumstances of the escape.
Recently there has been a spate of prisoner escapes. The most recent was from the New Amsterdam Hospital on August 25 where a 22-year-old convicted prisoner removed his foot cuffs and successfully fled from the institution. Lyndon Flavius of First Street, Bartica, had reportedly escaped when the prison officer guarding him left the ward to go to the lavatory.
He had also escaped in the early morning hours. Flavius was recaptured by a mobile patrol on a New Amsterdam Street several days after. Prior to this getaway four prisoners, including two murder accused had managed to escape custody even though they were handcuffed or under security watch. Of the four, one escaped prison officials, while the others were in police custody when they took off.
Shawn Yhap who was serving a sentence for the larceny of a motor cycle escaped on August 2, while playing steel pan at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri with other inmates of the Camp Street Prison. He was recaptured on the East Coast.
On August 14, moments after he was sentenced to one year in prison, Sherwin Glen, 19, ran out of the Wales Magistrate’s Court and escaped into the nearby cane fields. He was being escorted to the Wales Police Station at the time. However later that day, he returned to the station in the company of an uncle and was subsequently charged with escaping from lawful custody and sentenced to one year in jail.
On July 30, 20-year-old murder accused Trevor Major escaped from a moving prison van after reportedly picking the lock on the handcuffs he was wearing. He was among several other remand prisoners who were being escorted to the Camp Street prison after making appearances at the Providence Magistrate’s Court.
Then there was the case of multiple murder accused Jermaine `Skinny’ Charles who in June managed to squeeze under the loose floor boards of a cell, shortly after an appearance at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. He was gunned down by the joint services several weeks later at Kuru Kuru Linden Highway, along with Rondell Fineman Rawlins. (Melissa Charles/Stabroek News)
