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FM
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Kaieteur News grenade attack trio to stand trial in High Court


 

– bail denied for number one accused
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday ruled that prima facie cases have been established against the three men accused of lobbing a grenade at a vehicle belonging to Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, last June.

The three accused to stand trial in the High Court – Janeil Howard, Alfie Garraway and Leroy Williams. A fourth suspect, Shemar Wilson (top right), is wanted by the authorities.

As a result of the ruling, Alfie Garraway, Janeil Howard and Leroy Williams have been committed to stand trial at the High Court.
Williams, 25, of 11 D’Urban Backlands; Howard, 20, of 322 Section ‘C’ Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara; and Garraway, 36, of Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown, are accused of conspiring together with other persons to cause an explosion by way of throwing a grenade, likely to endanger lives and cause damage to property.
The offence occurred on June 4, 2015, at Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown.
According to reports, on the day in question, a member of the Kaieteur News security staff heard an unusual sound near Lall’s Toyota Lexus SUV, PRR 8398. The vehicle was parked on the western side of Saffon Street outside the building housing the newspaper’s offices.
On checking the front of the vehicle, the staff member spotted a grenade lying near one of the front tyres. Video footage from the company’s CCTV cameras showed a grey-coloured vehicle slowing as it approached Lall’s vehicle. The driver accelerated after the explosive was thrown.
Shemar Wilson, also known as ‘Abdue’, is still wanted by the Police for questioning in relation to the grenade attack. He is 20 years of age and his last known addresses have been given as 43 North Sophia and 51 West La Penitence, Georgetown.
Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers requested bail be denied for the number one accused, Alfie Garraway, who had been released on $300,000 bail by the High Court. Garraway, who was represented by Attorney Stanley Moore, asked the court to take into consideration that his client has attended every sitting of the hearing of the matter – during the Preliminary Inquiry.
The Chief Magistrate in turn said that based on the seriousness of the offence and the penalty it attracts, she would not grant bail to his client and that he would therefore again remanded to prison.
The three men will stand trial at the next sitting of the Demerara Assizes.
When given a chance to address the court, each of the men said, “I’m innocent.”
Leroy Williams who is known for being disruptive at every sitting of the court hearing once again yesterday showcased his bad temper in the courtroom by unlocking his handcuffs and waving around while staring at the reporters who were sitting in the courtroom.
One reporter on seeing Williams’s handcuffs loose quickly picked up her bag and dashed through the lone door. The man’s mother on observing that her son handcuffs was loose, hysterically shouted “No! No! No! Calm down son.”
A few months ago, Williams caused pandemonium when he had stormed back in the court after he was being escorted to the holding cell.
Williams prior to causing chaos in the court had hurled a bottle of water at a female reporter, hitting her in the chest as she was standing on the stairway, capturing video footage of prisoners as they were being taken to the prison van.

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Death toll for Linden Highway crash now four


 

Wednesday evening’s horrific collision on the Linden Soesdyke Highway claimed its fourth life with the latest victim, Louron Mendonca, succumbing to his injuries early yesterday morning at the Linden Hospital Complex.
According to reports, Mendonca, who had been in Linden on holiday from St Vincent, was a guest of David Primus, his uncle. Primus and Dextroy Griffith died instantly as a result of the collision that occurred in the vicinity of Loo Creek.
Primus was the driver of motor car HC 5326, in which both Mendonca and Griffith were travelling. Griffith’s wife, 22-year-old Whitney Ann Griffith, who was also in the vehicle, is hospitalized in Linden. She is reportedly five months pregnant, with her third child. The driver of the other vehicle, motor car PRR 7151, who also perished, is 38-year-old Raul Aaron of 748 Section C, Block X, Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara. The two vehicles were travelling in opposite directions, with the Primus’ returning to Linden.
A sombre mood filled the homes of the Griffiths, Primus and Mendonca as the families, all teary-eyed, spoke of their loved ones who perished in the smash-up.
Whitney Griffith, of 64 Self Help Housing Scheme and a cartographer at the Bureau of Statistics, would travel everyday to and from Georgetown. She would wait on her husband or vice versa so that they could travel back home together.
She sustained a dislocated left hip and a broken hand and was still in shock and disbelief following the mishap. “What will happen to me and the children? Who will take care of us? He can’t be dead.”
Griffith’s husband, Dextroy, who works as a mechanic with Roraima Airways at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, was killed on the spot.
He has worked previously with ‘Buff’ Mechanic shop in Amelia’s Ward and only landed his job with Roraima Airways three months ago. The Griffiths were in the process of relocating to Georgetown.
Whitney Griffith will be celebrating her 24th birthday on January 15, and the couple would have celebrated their first wedding anniversary on January 16.
According to Dianna Plowell, Whitney Griffith’s mother, “Dextroy was a family man. He was a loving child to his mother and a wonderful husband and father. I brought them up on Tuesday night and he insisted he got to go see his mother, so he went. The next day he is dead. His wife and children were the apples of his eye. Last year we were planning a wedding, now we are planning a funeral.”
The woman said that her son-in-law died protecting his wife. “My daughter told me, ‘mommy when I catch meself after the collision, Dextroy was covering me with his body, and he had his arms around me.’”
Suzette La Rose of Canvas City, Linden, is in denial of her son’s death; reality has not checked in as yet. “I am not accepting that my Dextroy is dead, I am not accepting that. My son got to come home.”
Louron Mendonca, 22, died yesterday morning while undergoing surgery.
Mendonca, who lives in St.Vincent and the Grenadines, is the only son for his father, Louie Mendonca. His son came home to pick up his US visa. He was staying at his great uncle Dave Primus who also perished in the accident, the man recalled.
The older Mendonca said “He went to town to pick up his visa and was coming back with his uncle when this happened. I can’t believe it; he is my second child and my only son. It hard, real hard.”
The older Mendonca said people were there pretending to assist the injured, but they were there with a different agenda. “Somebody bring my son bag and give me with his papers. They claim they found it in Lover’s Lane, Amelia’s Ward. I know he collected some money from Western Union and all I got is the slip to show he collected the money, but no money. How the bag meet in Lover’s Lane?”
David Primus’s wife Rachael told this newspaper that both Mendonca and her husband had left for Georgetown on Wednesday morning, but that Mendonca had left earlier than his uncle.
However Mendonca joined Primus for the ill-fated trip back to Linden.
The woman, who remained somewhat in shock said, “I screamed; I couldn’t believe it – I said not my husband – not Dave.
“I couldn’t believe it because I know my husband was always a good driver, he was never reckless, so I couldn’t understand.”
Several persons visited the bereaved relatives and offered words of encouragement and prayed with them. Among them were ranks from the Amelia’s Ward Police Outpost and Pastors Jordan and Selwyn Sills.

FM
Apparently, news from Suriname indicate that a suspect in that grenade attack was Shemar Wilson, who was wanted by the Guyanese police. But no need to search for him anymore. He got gunned down in Paramaribo last night.
Mr.T

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