August 31, 2009
Foul play suspected
Body of 63-yr-old found in Best Village
Dead: Dhaniram
The body was found by two teenagers in the dense bushes along the path leading to his home.
He was frothing at the mouth and his pockets were turned inside out. Dhaniram, of 25 New Road West Coast Demerara, was last seen making his way home mid-morning yesterday.
Dhaniram was a seaman, but was not working as the fishing grounds are closed. He was moonlighting as a watchman at a residence on New Road.
The man reportedly received his wages yesterday morning, after completing a night’s work, and proceeded to a local liquor shop, before heading home. But he never reached his house.
Neighbours are shocked at Dhaniram’s death.
According to the man’s son, Surendra Dhaniram, his father was a heavy drinker but a peaceable man. He never had any wrong dealings with anyone,” the man’s son stated.
Among friends, relatives and the son with whom he lives, Dhaniram leaves to mourn his wife, who is in Canada, and another son, who resides in Florida.
Dhaniram was described by neighbours as a “nice person” who never had a problem with them.
Dhaniram’s son Surendra
The 63-year-old has been a resident of Best Village for well over 25 years, as he moved there from Industry soon after his marriage.
One of his neighbours, Mrs. Surita Yakub, explained that she knew him well as she provided meals for him from time to time.
He was a real nice man is just that he drank and cursed, but he never had a problem with anyone,” Yakub said. Residents say that this latest incident is another that adds to their concerns about security in Best Village.
They expressed concern with the frequency with which such criminal incidents occur.
Neighbours also told of several incidents in which nurses from the Best Hospital have been attacked and robbed while leaving work during the night. (Vanessa Narine/Guyana Cronicle)
August 29, 2009
72-yr-old Parika taxi-driver murdered
DEAD: 72-year-old Mohammed Nazir Khan
There were stab wounds to the upper chest and slashes on his ankles. Khan’s body was found next to his nephew’s grey Carina car, which he operated as a taxi. The driver’s seat was stained with blood. The driver’s personal jewellery and cash were missing.
Khan, of 172 Parika Railway Line, reportedly left his home on Thursday and headed for the Rockers Taxi Service base, minutes away from his home. According to a dispatcher there, Mr. Intakhab Surjballi, known as Anthony, two men who appeared to be in their mid-twenties and dressed casually, came to the base just before 23:00h that night and requested a taxi to transport them to Stewartville.
Khan, who was there at the time, was assigned the job and left, but never returned. “After some time passed I tried calling him but he did not answer and I got his voice-mail,” the dispatcher said. The 72-year-old worked with the service part time and has been there for approximately nine months.
Khan reportedly took up the part-time job to fill his free time as he was also a school bus driver for the Met-en-Meerzorg Islamic School. He leaves to mourn his wife, Mrs. Sursattie Khan, with whom he has two sons, Mukesh and Sergeant Mohan Khan, who works as a presidential guard. Khan was described as a friendly, peaceful, jovial person who adored children, which is why he accepted the job as a school bus driver.
“He never had a problem with anyone,” Khan’s distraught wife cried, “He never hurt anyone.” As the Khan’s wife bemoaned the loss of her husband, onlookers at the scene of the crime denounced the act as inhumane. “One old man they gone and kill, they aint got shame,” one woman, a Stewartville resident, said. (Vanessa Narine/Guyana Cronicle)
August 28, 2009
Roreema back home
Businessman overjoyed .....
.....as daughter escapes from kidnappers, alive and well
The search came to a halt on a positive note last evening at around 20:00h after 21-year-old Roreema Dookie escaped from her abductors unharmed.
According to Dookie, one of her abductor’s girlfriend went into the room where she was being kept and began questioning her.
“She come in and ask which one of them I belong to and before I could try and explain, she went and got a window pane,” she stated. There was some commotion as Dookie tried to get away from the woman.
This attracted the attention of neighbours who, upon realising who she was, grabbed her and took her to the East La Penitence Police Station.
She added that at no time was she harmed or harassed by the men who took her. According to her, the men, whose faces were covered at all times, grabbed her after her class at the Business School on Wednesday evening at around 20:00 h and took her to a house where they locked her in a bedroom.
Dookie was unable to say where she was being held as she said when he left the house there was a power outage in the area. “I was very scared but I tried to be brave through the entire thing.”
Dookie also pointed out that she was taken by surprise when the men grabbed her but she cooperated as she was afraid that they would harm her. She added that she had never noticed the strange characters hanging around the school before nor had she seen anyone following her at any time.
Relatives said that demands were made for ransom but none was paid. Dookie’s father, well-known bar owner, Beharry Dookie, known as "Natoo" of Lamaha and Pike Street, Kitty, was overjoyed at his daughter’s safe return. He told this newspaper that words could not express just how he felt to have his daughter safe and sound.
This newspaper could not confirm whether Dookie’s boyfriend, Jewel Oudkerk, who was with her at the time of the incident, was released from the Kitty Police Station where he was taken Wednesday night.
On Wednesday night, Dookie was taken at gunpoint by three men after her class at the Business School. Her boyfriend, who she said put up a fight, was hit on the head several times. This newspaper paper understands that as Dookie was about to enter her boyfriend’s car the three men charged towards them, seizing her and placing her in a car.
Oudkerk of Annandale, East Coast Demerara, was treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital before taken into custody. Dookie had only returned from overseas two days prior to the incident. Dookie’s bar was the scene of a brutal attack in which four persons were killed on September 25, 2003, after gunmen walked in and opened fire indiscriminately with assault rifles. Those killed were Gavin Narine, Joy Arjune, Lloyd Singh and a Custom’s Broker. (Guyana Cronicle)
August 27, 2009
‘BAD COPS’ IN COURT On simple larceny charge
Four Police Officers, and the brother of two of them, who were charged in connection with the Ramdass robbery, yesterday appeared in court charged with simple larceny and supplying false information.
Leyland Fraser, 24, of 1602 Kaburi Street, Ituni; Gordon James, 28, of 80 Amelia’s Ward, Linden; and Kevon Denny, 29, of 50 ‘B’ Station Street, Kitty, faced the joint simple larceny charge, to which they were not required to plead.
Particulars of this offence said, on August 20, at Scoonard, West Bank Demerara, they stole the sum of $4.3M from Shawn Ajeda, property of Azeem Baksh. Jermaine James, 24, of 80 Amelia’s Ward, Linden and Colin James, of 23 Richmond Hill, Linden, pleaded not guilty to a joint charge.
It is alleged that, on August 24, at Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Eve Leary, they gave false information to Inspector Reid, a public officer, intending to cause him to conduct an investigation which he would not have done if he had known the true state of the facts.
With regard to the simple larceny matter, Police Inspector Denise Griffith, prosecuting, said Denny, a Cadet Officer, was in charge of Fraser and Gordon James, who are both policemen, on the day in question. She said they were on patrol duty when they received certain instructions to hold a road block and search for the perpetrators of an alleged robbery that involved $17M.
According to Griffith, the officers responded to this call during which they apprehended two persons with a black bag containing $5.8M. However, she continued, the officers lodged $1.5M and claimed that was all they found. With regard to the simple larceny offence, Griffith said Jermaine, Colin and Gordon are brothers.
She said during the investigation involving the $4.3M, Jermaine and Colin were questioned by Inspector Reid and they claimed that Colin drove motor car PLL 9051, which is owned by Gordon, to Leonora Police Station on August 20.
According to the Prosecutor, this motor car was suspected to have removed the stolen cash. Griffith said Colin and Jermaine admitted that they lied and that it was Gordon who drove the car to the police station on August 20. The latter story, she said, was proven to be the truth. Griffith said legal advice was obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) after which the charges were instituted.
Attorney-at-law Mr. James Bond entered an appearance for Fraser, Denny and Gordon James. He said there was no larceny by anyone as the officers lodged everything at the police station. Bond argued that the charge would not stand in any court because the Prosecution would be hard-pressed to prove the case. “The charge defies logic in law,” he stated.
The lawyer also reasoned that the money that was in the black bag could have been interfered with prior to the officers coming into contact with it. Prosecutor Griffith however maintained her objection to bail noting that vital evidence could be tampered with if the accused are released on bail.
However, she said the Prosecution was not objecting to bail for Jermaine and Colin James, who are facing the false information allegation. These two defendants were ordered to post $50,000 bail each and this matter will be called again on September 2. Fraser, Denny and Gordon James were however remanded to prison and will make their next court appearance at Vreed-en-Hoop on August 31.
The sum of $4.3M, mentioned in the charge, is allegedly part of the $17M robbery that was committed on 24-year-old Dweive Kant Ramdass that the officers recovered during the roadblock exercise.
Last Monday, three Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast guards appeared at Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court charged with Ramdass’ murder and their relatives also appeared in court charged with ‘accessory after the fact of murder.’
The GDF soldiers, Sherwin Hart, 24, of 123 Eccles, East Bank Demerara; Deon Greenidge, 20, of 166 Middle Road, La Penitence; and Devon Gordon, 21, of 108 ‘C’ Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, were not required to plead to the capital offence.
Particulars of the charge said, on August 20, at Bonasika Creek, Essequibo River, they murdered Dweive Kant Ramdass. The other accused, Shawn Ajeda, 22, of 123 Block ‘C’ Eccles; Viola Adolphus, 32, of 108 ‘C’ Field, Sophia; and Yvonne Beckles, 49, of 166 Middle Road, La Penitence, were also not required to plead to a joint charge.
It is alleged that, on August 20, they received, relieved, comforted, harboured, assisted and maintained Hart, Greenidge and Gordon who were wanted by Police in connection with the murder of Ramdass. Magistrate Judy Latchman, before whom they all appeared, had refused bail for all six accused and the case was transferred to Leonora Magistrate’s court for September 24.
The two Privates and a Lance Corporal, who were manning the Coast Guard RC 12 motor boat in the Essequibo River, made off with $17M in cash which Ramdass was carrying in a box to Bartica for his employer, Baksh, who is based in the city and operates a gold and diamond business.
The three soldiers told investigators shortly after their arrest that they strangled Ramdass, took the money he was carrying and threw his body overboard in the vicinity of Bonasika Creek. Ramdass, 24, of 95 Third Avenue, Bartica, realised he was in danger and attempted to solicit help by using his cellular phone. He was however prevented by the killers.
The GDF members took away Ramdass in their boat, relieved him of the cash, murdered him and returned to the Parika Stelling, where one of their female accomplices was waiting for them. She is the sister of one of the officers and was given $5.7M in cash to hold. The three soldiers reportedly split the money after they killed Ramdass.
Meanwhile, the GDF said it condemns in the strongest possible terms the criminal action of its Coast Guards stationed at Fort Island. “It is reprehensible and will be met with the full force of the law. At present the ranks implicated are in Police custody,” a GDF press statement said.
It added that it is clear from initial reports that there was a breakdown in the command and leadership structure at this unit, for which strong administrative action will be taken.
The GDF said it wishes to assure citizens, the fishing community, fishermen, small boat and other vessel operators that the Defence Force subscribes to the highest of professional standards and will continue to discharge its mandate notwithstanding this unsavory incident. (Telesha Persaud/Guyana Cronicle)
Rogue cops must go Home Affairs Minister declares
I don’t take and since I don’t take then those below me should not do so. And if they do and are caught they should be made to suffer the consequences.” - Minister Rohee
Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, yesterday said the Police Force must be cleansed of rogue cops or potential rogue elements and warned that those caught in illegal acts will suffer the full consequences.
Declaring that he felt let down by the involvement of rogue cops following the robbery and murder of a Bartica businessman by Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard soldiers in the Essequibo River last week, he said the Police Force has to work harder at ridding itself of rogue elements.
Several cops have been charged with stealing some of the $17M in cash the soldiers robbed the Bartica resident of after the booty was recovered. Addressing ranks at the formal handing over of more vehicles to the Police Force, Rohee encouraged those “who do not allow themselves to be led into the quagmire of temptation to continue standing firm and to set the example at all times.”
“…we cannot give up. The efforts at police reform and transformation will continue. We have to work harder to cleanse the force of rogue or potentially rogue elements. We have to work harder to ensure that from the point of recruitment, intensive character assessment is done and to imbue new recruits to the force with high values and standards”, the minister said.
He said the example for the force is being set from the top, declaring that as the minister responsible for the actions of the Guyana Police Force, “I don’t take and since I don’t take then those below me should not do so. And if they do and are caught they should be made to suffer the consequences.”
“Since that incident on the Essequibo River, I have been asked several times how I feel about the matter…I feel let down, a sense of disappointment. After all, when you take into account all the hard work currently being done to transform the Guyana Police Force so that the force can be more effective in fighting crime and to improve more and more their relations with people…these sporadic but high profile criminal activities…blemish the good name and standing of the Police Force in the eyes of the public.”
“I know there are many ranks who feel the same way. I have spoken to several of them unofficially and they too feel disappointed by the actions of their colleagues”, he said. Rohee was firm that vehicles allocated to the force are to be used for duties consistent with policing.
The vehicles, he declared, are not be used “to go to the market, or for dropping children to school, or for partying or any other activity that can bring the force into disrepute.” “I want to warn Police ranks to whom these resources are entrusted to don’t even think about engaging in such deeds or misdeeds.” (Guyana Cronicle)
Nathoo’s daughter kidnapped
Father refutes report about $40M ransom demand Intensive investigations launched by the Police
ABDUCTED: Roreema Dookie
Roreema was reportedly kidnapped around 20:00 hrs Wednesday night shortly after she left classes at the International Business College on Thomas Street, Georgetown.
Beharry Dookie, popularly called ‘Nathoo’ told the Guyana Chronicle today (Thursday) that he never received a ransom demand for the safe return of his daughter following her abduction on Wednesday night. I never receive a call for ransom and I don’t know where the newspapers got that news from,” he angrily stated.
The owner of Nathoo’s Liquor Restaurant and Grocery, whose daughter was abducted from her boyfriend’s car on Thomas Street, Georgetown, said they are presently working collaboratively with the police in monitoring the telephone calls at his home. Beharry said he just wants his daughter back home where she belongs.
There, a group of friends and relatives had converged to lend support to the Beharrys who were anxiously awaiting word on their daughter’s whereabouts. Beharry added that his daughter left home for classes at the International Business College at 5:00 pm Wednesday and when her classes ended at 8:00 pm she had her boyfriend, Joel Oudkerk waiting for her there.
It was when she was in his car that the girl was reportedly abducted and bundled into a waiting vehicle by unidentified men who, according to reports, beat Oudkerk until he was semi-conscious. He has since received medical attention and is assisting the police with investigations.
The gunmen then sped off with Roreema, who had returned to Guyana on Tuesday after a vacation in Canada. Dookie is enrolled in the Quantitative Methods (Association of Business Education) class and is in the diploma level at the International Business College. She joined the school in July and attended classes only on Wednesdays. (Guyana Cronicle)
August 22, 2009
Three GDF soldiers confess to strangling Bartica resident After robbing him of $17M in cash
Relatives accompanied by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard were combing the murky waters in the Essequibo River up to press time yesterday in search of the body of missing Bartica resident Dweive Kant Ramdass.
Ramdass is the victim of a robbery by three members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who have since confessed to his murder.
Two Privates and a Lance Corporal who were manning the Coast Guard RC 12 motor boat in the Essequibo River told investigators shortly after their arrest that they strangled Ramdass, took the money he was carrying and threw his body overboard in the Essequibo River, in the vicinity of Bonasika Creek.
The soldiers made off with $17M in cash which Ramdass was carrying in a box to Bartica for his employer, Baksh, who is based in the city and operates a gold and diamond business.
Ramdass’s brother, Vasu Ramdass, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that his sibling left home shortly after 14:00h with a quantity of gold for Parika and was on his way to Bartica with the money on Thursday afternoon when he was intercepted by the members of the GDF Coast Guard and forced into their boat at the Parika Beach, East Bank Essequibo.
He explained that his brother had made similar trips and had been working in the business for several months. Ramdass, 24, of 95 Third Avenue, Bartica, attempted to solicit help by using his cellular phone but was prevented when he realised he was in danger. Vasu Ramdass stated that his sibling is single, has nine other siblings and was trying to make a living like everybody else when he was murdered.
He condemned the brutal killing of his brother by the GDF ranks and asked that the authorities look into the matter vigorously. The GDF members took away Ramdass in their boat, relieved him of the cash, murdered him and returned to the Parika Stelling where a woman was waiting for them.
She is the sister of one of the ranks and was given $5.7M in cash to hold. She too was arrested at Parika Stelling and unconfirmed reports stated that another portion of the money was recovered by the police during a roadblock exercise. The ranks reportedly split the money in three portions after they killed Ramdass.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) condemns in the strongest possible terms the criminal action of its Coast Guard ranks stationed at Fort Island. A press release said yesterday said their actions in no way represent the ethos and character of the GDF. “It is reprehensible and will be met with the full force of the law. At present the ranks implicated are in Police custody,” the release said.
The document added that the GDF has since launched a full inquiry into the circumstances that led to the murder. It added that it is clear from initial reports that there was a breakdown in the command and leadership structure at this unit, for which strong administrative action will be taken. The Coast Guard will lead and continue the search until the missing businessman is located.
“The GDF wishes to assure citizens, the fishing community, fishermen, small boat and other vessel operators that the Defence Force subscribes to the highest of professional standards and will continue to discharge its mandate notwithstanding this unsavoury incident,” the released explained.
The Force also expresses its regrets to the family of the missing businessman for the pain they may be enduring. (Guyana Cronicle/Michel Outridge)
August 20, 2009
Guard was fatally knifed by man who fled in car – report
Lennox O'Dean
Lennox O’Dean, the RK‘s security guard who was discovered bleeding from a fatal neck wound at Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic on Tuesday evening, was reportedly stabbed by a man who escaped in a waiting car.
O’Dean, 58, also called Lennox Hughes of Melanie Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) by police on Tuesday evening.
The man died shortly after while receiving medical attention from Emergency Room doctors. Hospital sources had reported that the man sustained a wound to the neck and abrasions to the head.
Initially the circumstances surrounding O’Dean’s death were sketchy and Stabroek News was told that a police officer, directing traffic along Avenue of the Republic last evening, was called to the scene by a member of the public. Relatives have since said that the same member of the public reported seeing a man stab O’Dean to the neck and then escape in a waiting car.
“This person told us that they were riding by same time and saw wah happen but they were riding a motorcycle along a one way at the time and could not turn back,” one of O’Dean’s daughters explained, “and by the time they circle ‘round de block he [O’Dean] was sprawled on de corner.”
Meanwhile, the deceased’s daughter revealed that Tuesday night was the third time the man was attacked in recent times. O’Dean, she said, was attacked last Friday by two men on a bicycle. One of the men had slashed his bag with a knife.
“Look this is the third time my father was attacked and is only last week Friday they attacked him,” the distressed woman said. “He had reported that matter to the Brickdam Police Station and we haven’t heard anything about it to date.”
Her father was first attacked at Regent and King streets about a month ago, the woman recalled, and had suffered several stab wounds to his right leg and back. O’Dean she said had received stitches at the hospital and had taken a week off of work. The first attack was very traumatic for her father, the woman said, and he started taking a bus from his Regent Street workplace to Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic which is just a few feet away from the East Coast Demerara bus park.
“The first time my father was robbed he told me that he screamed and screamed for help but people pass by and didn’t stop to help him,” the woman related. “He said that he lay there screaming in pain for about half hour before a woman passed by in a taxi and decide to stop and help him.”
O’Dean was robbed at Regent and Wellington streets last Friday his daughter said. The man was attacked by two men on a bicycle, on of whom he recognized as a person who was normally around the Regent Street area.
The man’s relatives said that they have given “all the information to police” and are hoping that something will be done. Asked whether they were confident that they will receive justice, relatives said they “are not so sure.”
RK’s Security Service has since issued a press statement in which they are offering a $250,000 reward for the capture of O’Dean’s killer(s). O’Dean’s relatives were unable to say why the security company has offered the award and efforts made to contact a relevant company official for a comment were futile.
“I think that one of my father’s attackers probably realized that my father recognized him so he came back to get him…my father was a quiet man and he never trouble anyone…only heaven knows why this happen,” the deceased’s daughter said. (Sara Bharrat/Stabroek News)
August 18, 2009
Sophia man stabbed, stoned to death
Bad blood blame for savage attack
Andrew Thomas
A North Sophia man died after he was savagely stabbed to the neck and stoned by another man in the area late Sunday night.
Andrew Thomas, 38, also known as Andrew Garraway called “Payee” or “Lumber man,” of North Sophia, Georgetown was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital shortly before 11pm Sunday and died while receiving medical attention.
Thomas had been sitting outside a North Sophia shop, located opposite the St. Stanislaus College Farm, watching television when his attacker confronted him at about 9.30pm. Thomas’ attacker stabbed him to the neck after a short verbal confrontation between the two.
The deceased’s brother-in-law told Stabroek News yesterday afternoon that Thomas and his attacker had a “misunderstanding” about a week before the incident. Thomas’ attacker, his brother-in-law alleged, had stolen some items and blamed it on the dead man.
“The perpetrator,” the man explained, “thief some things from a Indian man place and he bring de man and say is Payee thief it but Payee de lucky cause it had some people who know where he been when de things loss and they vouch that he ain’t been no where and thief nothing,” he explained.
Thomas’ brother-in-law believes that his attacker was upset because the man did not get in trouble for the alleged petty crime. This incident, he said, brewed “bad blood” between the men. Thomas knew his attacker well and the men lived close to each other. “I know is vex he de vex cause Payee ain’t get reprimanded or nothing for de false accusations so he been all out to get he,” the man said.
Thomas’ relatives learnt of the incident more than 30 minutes after it had occurred. They told this newspaper that they’d learnt from eyewitnesses that Thomas’ attacker remained at the location for approximately 30 minutes after he’d wounded the man. The attacker threatened anyone who tried to render assistance to the wounded man and residents, relatives said they’d learnt, were unable to do anything.
However, Thomas’ brother-in-law also told this newspaper that police did not respond in a “speedy manner.” Despite being called about the matter, the man said, police only visited the scene after Thomas was pronounced dead at the city hospital. “Police don’t like come in this area,” Thomas’ brother-in-law said. “Is Kitty Police Station does got to look after things that happen in this area and like dem does never want to come here.”
Police were yet to issue a statement on the incident up to late last night. However, Stabroek News learnt from relatives of the deceased and police sources that Thomas’ attacker is yet to be arrested.
“He just freak out…”
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, yesterday reported that there “was no big argument or scuffle” between Thomas and his attacker that night. “Payee de sitting down watching tv and this man come walking in by de shop and block de shop door and de shop lady ask he to move,” the eyewitness recalled, “lil after that Payee get up and just ask this man to move from in front de door and this man tek off…is like he de jus’ lookin’ fuh ah story with Payee.”
Thomas’ attacker began verbally abusing him and “lil after pull out a small knife and stab he,” the eyewitness related. The man plunged the knife into Thomas’ neck then “ripped it across he throat.” Thomas was then chased around the shop while clutching his heavily bleeding wound.
“Payee de trying to run away but this man keep blocking he…he finally get away and run over to de dairy farm and brace up ‘pun de fence and is then de man start pick up some big big brick and pelting he.”
By the time Thomas made it to the fence of the St. Stanislaus College Farm he had already lost a lot of blood, the eyewitness reported. Thomas remained at the fence but after he was hit by a couple of stones he somehow made his way over the fence and into the farm compound.
“He couldn’t tek de pain no mo’ and he de so desperate to get away he jump over de fence and you know although Payee jump over the fence that man de still pelting he and he de cursing saying how Payee ain’t getting to go no hospital and that how he going to dead right deh,” the eyewitness reported.
In a desperate bid to avoid more pain Thomas, according to the eyewitness, crawled between some bushes where he was discovered almost an hour after being wounded. Several persons, the eyewitness said, made attempts to help the injured man but he threatened them with the knife as well.
“He freak out…if you see this man eyes how it get big big when he de running Payee to stab he again,” the eyewitness related, “I feel is crazy he go crazy right then and if anyone de try to stop he then they woulda get they dead to.”
When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday afternoon residents were reluctant to speak about the incident. They reported that Thomas’ attacker only fled the scene when he noticed the man’s relatives approaching the scene.
Meanwhile, Thomas’ brother-in-law said that the man was “barely alive” when they found him among the bushes Sunday night. Blood, the man said, stained Thomas’ upper body and his breathing “was very shallow.”
The man, according to a press release from the public hospital, arrived at the medical institution at 10.47pm Sunday and died shortly after while receiving medical attention.
Relatives could not say what Thomas did for a living. He leaves to mourn three children. (Sara Bharrat/Stabroek News)
Suriname judge shows Guyanese pirates no mercy . . . hands down lengthy jail terms
PARAMARIBO, Suriname (Caribbean Net News) -- A judge in Suriname has slapped six Guyanese nationals with lengthy jail terms for piracy in the country’s territorial waters.
Churmandatt Sookdeo, Stevie Latchman and Tony Sookwah were sent to prison for 12 years each while their fellow countrymen Philbert Cush, Winston Bidesi and Junior Sookhoo were slapped with a 14 years jail term. The sentences were in accordance with the demands of prosecutor Cynthia Klein.
The men were found guilty of several charges including armed robbery, abduction and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Judge Iwan Rasoelbaks showed no mercy, saying that the criminals have terrorized their victims. Several of the victims might be traumatized for life if they don’t receive professional help, he noted.
“Could you imagine the fear of the victims. These suspects have no compassion, simply because they are after money. Therefore we need to hand down harsh sentences in order to prevent this to happen in the future. On the other hand we need to discourage other to commit these acts,” said the magistrate.
The gang was captured red handed by local police officers during an attack on a yacht off the Surinamese coast. The vessel was occupied by eight Surinamese nationals. Testimonies indicated that the victims were tied up, brutally beaten and threatened with cutlasses, firearms and other weapons. During the robbery they were also threatened with death.
During the trial, evidence surfaced that the pirates seized money, mobile phones and the outboard engine of the yacht. The attack was foiled however after one of the victims succeeded in getting help. When police arrived at the scene, four of the attackers had already fled while the two remaining pirates were arrested on board the yacht. The four fugitives were captured as a result of follow-up investigations.
For several years the coast of Suriname and Guyana has been terrorized by bandits, who attack fishermen, seizing their catch, nets, fuel, outboard engines and other valuables. In most attacks the victims have been beaten, while several were killed or thrown overboard.
Only in a few cases law enforcement agencies from both countries have succeeded in capturing and bringing suspects to justice since the culprits have managed to elude the authorities either by hiding in Guyana or Suriname. (Ivan Cairo/Guyana Cronicle)
August 17, 2009
Man murdered at Wanakai
A 28-year-old man was killed early yesterday by a man, with whom he had a long-standing grievance and who fled after the incident at Wanakai, North West District.
Dead is Martin Daniels of Holoquai, Upper Aruka River. Police said in a statement that the incident occurred at about 3 am yesterday at Wana-kai.
Before his demise, the police said, Daniels, together with the suspect and others had completed self-help work at about 6 pm on Saturday “and were imbibing when the suspect as a result of an old grievance dealt Daniels a blow to the head with a piece of wood and fled”.
Daniels was taken to the Mabaruma hospital but died before receiving medical attention. His body is awaiting a post-mortem examination as investigations continue, said the police. (Stabroek News)
August 6, 2009
Alleged rapist shot during arrest
Mark Cyrus
A man, who allegedly raped a Linden woman and then robbed her late last month, was yesterday shot and injured at his home by the police, after he reportedly attacked them.
Mark Cyrus, 38, of 5031 Park Lane, Amelia’s Ward, Linden was shot in his right thigh by the police at approximately 10 am yesterday, police said in a press release. He is currently receiving attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
According to the release, Cyrus was shot during efforts to arrest him after he was identified as the assailant by the victim of an alleged rape.
The release said two policemen, one of whom was armed with a shotgun, went to Cyrus’s home and during efforts to arrest him, Cyrus attacked them with a prospecting knife forcing the armed rank to resort to the use of force and he was shot and injured to his right upper leg. Cyrus was taken to the Mackenzie Hospital and then referred to the Georgetown facility.
Police said a cell phone which was identified by the complainant as belonging to her was found in his possession. When police got to his residence, Cyrus was seen lying in a hammock in the house and as the police approached him he allegedly drew his weapon.
The armed officer then shot him in the right upper thigh and relieved him of the weapon after he fell to the ground. He was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex but later referred to the Georgetown hospital. Police also recovered two televisions sets, one camouflage suit and a crowbar among other items which are suspected to have been stolen.
Stabroek News understands that Cyrus is a feared person in his community. Several persons complimented the police officers for their quick response and the consideration used in apprehending the man. (Stabroek News)
August 2, 2009
Fire at Sophia…
Shopkeeper left traumatized and in mountains of debt
Arson suspected 
A grief-stricken Tiffany Benn looks on at the smouldering embers, which is all that’s left of what was once her sister’s shop.
Fire, suspected to be the work of an arsonist, early yesterday morning razed a shop at ‘E’ Field Sophia, leaving about $ 400,000 in losses, and its owner, Petrina O’Brien devastated.
O’Brien, who was not at home at the time the fire broke out, and her two children had spent the night at a relative because her reputed husband had been making her life hell ever since she severed their relationship.She said he’s not only been stalking her constantly, but he’s also threatened to take her life and the lives of other family members. On receiving the news, O’Brien first became hysterical, then collapsed from shock and the pain of her loss. For the remainder of the morning, the woman reportedly had to be closely monitored by her mother, who was fearful of allowing her to even visit the scene of the tragedy.
When the Sunday Chronicle arrived on the scene yesterday, the beleaguered O’Brien had still not returned home. However, her sister, Tiffany Benn, who lives at the back of the property on which the shop stood, said that Petrina had taken the news rather badly, since she had only recently received a loan from the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) to set up the business, and was indebted to that financial institution.
Benn, who operates a hair dressing salon on the said property but some distance away from where she lives, confirmed that the fire started around 04:30h. She recalled that around 03:30h, she was in her home when she and her husband heard someone attempting to break the lock on the door to the salon. The woman said they both made checks, but on not seeing anything amiss, got back into bed.
Scarcely had they settled in, she said, than the telephone rang. It was a neighbour calling to say that O’Brien’s grocery and snackette was on fire. “When I pull meh blind from meh window and look out, I see this big, big blaze!” a still very emotional Benn said.
She and her husband immediately rushed over to her sister’s place, but by the time they got there, the entire [10’ x 12’] shop, which stood at the front corner of the lot, was already engulfed in flames. They were not able to save anything.
The fire department was alerted, but because of the tall distance and the poor state of the road in that particular part of Sophia (‘E’ Field) the shop had already been burnt to a cinder even before the unit arrived.
Benn surmised that the suspect, after not succeeding in getting into the salon, may have set the shop on fire. They also recalled that on arriving on the scene of the fire, they’d noticed that Petrina’s home, which is located just a few feet off from the ravaged shop, had been broken into. The security device that had been put in place had been removed and the door left ajar.
Late yesterday, the Chronicle caught up with the distressed O’Brien, who related that she had been going through a rather turbulent period with her estranged reputed husband, who had threatened to kill her “before Mother’s Day,” because she had broken off their relationship.
O’Brien, who is also a caterer, said she had suffered countless of losses and several acts of aggression at his hands, and that based on a spate of recent developments, she had every reason to believe that it was he who set the fire.
She also said that when she arrived at her home yesterday, she discovered that it had been broken into, and that a large portion of the vinolay on the floor had been torn off, leading her to believe that that was what was used to kindle the fire in the shop.
Noting that a previous attempt had been made to burn the shop down, O’Brien said about two weeks ago, her reputed husband had broken into the premises and doused it and the stocks therein with kerosene oil, causing her to lose about $170,000 worth of goods. He’d also broken into her home and removed some of her furnishings, among them a television set, CPU, and stabilizer.
That matter was brought up for trial in Court on July 16, but as it was being heard, her blood pressure soared and she collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital. The woman said that in her absence, the defendant, a former member of the Guyana Defence Force, was placed on bail, but a warrant was subsequently issued for his re-arrest, based on a number of acts of domestic violence occasioned against her.
She said that out of fear for her life and the lives of her two children -- aged nine and eleven -- they were forced to stop sleeping in their own home.
Then last Wednesday night as she was returning from church, he pounced upon her, but fortunately for, she was rescued by other soldiers who were on hand. Stemming from this matter, Magistrate Yohance Cave had this past Friday signed a Protection Order in O’Brien’s favour, since a Domestic Violence matter is currently before the court against him. (Shirley Thomas/Guyana Cronicle)
Abusive husband dead after ingesting poison in police station
Clarence Blair
Years of domestic abuse ended in a suicide on Friday when an Alberttown man who had promised to change his ways turned himself over to police and ingested poison while at the station. He died at the public hospital shortly after.
Clarence Blair, 40, of 67 Fifth Street, Alberttown ingested two bottles of a poisonous substance on Friday- the first on his way to the Alberttown Police Station and the other while there. Police rushed Blair to the hospital after realizing what he had done, but doctors were unable to save him. Blair was frothing at the mouth after he drank the second bottle.
Relatives are saying that stress pushed him to commit the act since according to one relative, “he had a lot of problems”. Alexis Blair, his wife, told Stabroek News yesterday that her husband was abusive and that he had stepped up his attacks on her in the days leading up to him taking his own life.
She recalled that on Tuesday last he dealt her a severe beating during an argument. She chose to forgive him. Blair said that she had made prior reports at Alberttown Police Station for her husband, and on Thursday morning she was forced to make another one. She related that on Thursday the man dealt her another severe beating, so severe that she had to be rushed to the hospital.
The woman’s head was bandaged as she spoke and she showed recent physical scars and others that were there from over the years. She fought back tears explaining that after 21 years of marriage she was willing to “forgive and forget”.
The police advised her on Thursday to report any sighting of her husband. Alexis Blair said that he showed up at her work place on Friday morning and immediately fled the premises. She recalled alerting two constables in the area who accompanied her back to the work site and managed to apprehend her husband.
She said her husband slipped away from the constables shortly after they apprehended him and later showed up at their Alberttown home making threats. “He tell how I gon punish and he gon beat me and beat me in front of de police,” she related. She said that she did not respond.
Clarence Blair already had the substance on him when he showed up at home. An older brother upbraided him about his behaviour and urged him to go to station. He decided to turn himself in to the police and told relatives that he would change. He then asked his eldest daughter to accompany him to the station and subsequently left home.
This was around 2 pm on Friday. The girl saw him drinking something from a bottle but had no idea what it was at the time. Alexis Blair lamented last night that she had lost her husband. She said that they had many fights, but that “things would work out. “I can’t bear it,” she said struggling with her emotions.
The couple has seven children, the youngest being five months old. Clarence Blair was employed as security guard at Kalibur Security Services. (Stabroek News)