7 accused in Kaieteur News robbery denied bail again

Seven men, including two former employees of Kaieteur News, who are charged with carrying out a robbery at the establishment’s Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown office, were denied bail for a second time when they appeared in court last Thursday.
Joshua Junor, 35, a security officer of Middle Street, La Penitence, Georgetown, and Ryan Wharton, 33, a Research Assistant of Canary Street, Tucville, Georgetown, both former employees of Kaieteur News; Lemuel Grant, 23, a clerk of Russell Street, Charlestown, Georgetown; 36-year-old Harry Stongster of Hyde Park, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD), and Ivor Belingie called “Wild Life” appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The joint charge read to them stated that between October 9 and 10 at Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, they robbed Kaieteur News owned by Glenn Lall of $38.8 million in cash, a Republic Bank cheque valued at $9.1 million, US$9360, a .32 Taurus pistol and ammunition valued at $515,000, a firearm case valued at $25,000, six magazines valued at $60,000, among other items. They were also charged with robbing Noel Junior of $5000 and Wayne Little of a cellular phone worth $44,000. The men have pleaded not guilty.

The men first appeared in court on October 14 before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who in remanding them, cited the serious nature of the offence and the public’s safety. They were again refused bail and remanded last Thursday by Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.
Grant was represented by lawyer Eusi Anderson, who submitted that the only part his client played in the commissioning of the crime, was lending his motor car to Wharton, who is his cousin, unknowing that he was going to use the car to commit a crime.
According to him, at the time of the robbery, his client was at a popular bar, and CCTV footage from the establishment will be presented to support his alibi.
Collis Heywood and Kevin France, on the other hand, were separately charged for the unlawful possession of guns and ammunition. The two charges read to Heywood, a 40-year-old chef of Lot R2-578 Canary Street, Tucville, Georgetown, stated that on October 10 at Georgetown, he had a .32 ammunition and 210 matching rounds in his possession, when he was not the holder of a firearm licence enforced at the time. Meanwhile, France, 35, a taxi driver of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was accused of having a 9mm pistol along with 10 matching rounds in his possession when he was not the holder of a firearm licence enforced at the time. The pair pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded until December 9.
Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers told the court that investigations revealed that the robbery was planned a week prior by Wharton, the mastermind.
According to the prosecutor, a probe into the robbery led to the arrest of Heywood and France—both of whom were found with the company firearm in their possession.
Guyana Times had previously reported that three bandits walked into Kaieteur News and held three of its employees at gunpoint, before carting off millions of dollars in cash.
Wharton, who had previously worked with the company as a Research Assistant, was arrested shortly after and confessed to plotting the armed robbery.
Police recovered over $6 million of the stolen cash, the stolen pistol and ammunition, the broken safe, and the car used in the robbery. From the outset, Lall had asserted that the robbery was an “inside job”.