Attempted murder, armed robbery charges dismissed against duo after settlement

The attempted murder and robbery under arms charges against 19-year-old St Lucian national Condoleezza Henry and her Guyanese co-accused, Kristoff Nicholas, were dismissed on Wednesday after both families paid a total of $600,000 in compensation to the virtual complainant.
Henry and Nicholas appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where the court was informed that the Henry family and the Nicholas family had each handed over $300,000, in keeping with settlement discussions previously disclosed to the court.
As a result, the indictable charges of attempted murder and robbery under arms were withdrawn and dismissed. However, both accused remain before the court on several related charges and were granted bail following submissions by defence attorneys for a reduction in the amounts initially imposed.
Following the dismissal of the indictable offences, Henry is now facing two other charges: possession of a firearm without a licence and possession of ammunition without a licence. Nicholas, meanwhile, is facing three charges: possession of a firearm without a licence, possession of ammunition without a licence, and escape from lawful custody.
The court initially imposed higher bail amounts on the remaining charges, but both accused, through their attorneys, pleaded for a reduction. Acting Chief Magistrate McGusty subsequently granted bail in the sum of $75,000 on each charge, per accused.
Henry was therefore placed on $150,000 bail in total, while Nicholas was placed on $225,000 bail. Their matters were adjourned to March 4 for further proceedings.
Henry and Nicholas were jointly charged in connection with a June 20 armed robbery during which 69-year-old operations manager Claudius Fraser was shot in the chest.
The court had previously been told that although Fraser was discharged from hospital, a bullet remains lodged in his chest, and he is required to undergo surgery.
During earlier proceedings, attorneys for both accused indicated that settlement discussions were being pursued with Fraser. Acting Chief Magistrate McGusty had made it clear that any settlement could only apply to the indictable charges of attempted murder and robbery under arms, and not to the remaining offences, including escape from lawful custody and firearm-related charges.
Fraser later indicated his willingness to accept compensation in the sum of $300,000 from each accused, which was paid on Wednesday prior to the dismissal of the indictable charges.
Both Henry and Nicholas had previously been denied bail on the basis of the seriousness of the allegations and public safety concerns. With the attempted murder and armed robbery charges now removed, the court proceeded to address bail on the remaining offences.