Terrence Sugrim likely to be charged again

Jun 19, 2009 News

– lawyer seeks order to prohibit hearing

Gun and ammunition charges are again likely for Terrence Sugrim, who only had a similar matter discharged last month at the Wales Magistrate’s Court.
Sugrim, who recently had the unlawful possession of arms and ammunition case discharged at Wales Court, was again summoned to appear at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
However Sugrim was not present in court yesterday because of his Attorney’s advice.
Attorney at law Vic Puran, who is representing Sugrim, told the court that a summoned was served on his client on June 17, to appear in court the following day.
The lawyer further told the court that he had advised his client not to appear in court, because he (Sugrim) cannot be summoned by the magistrate’s clerk.

Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson interjected and told the lawyer that she was not aware that a summons had been sent to Sugrim. She further added that no case had been booked for the day.
The lawyer further told the court that the summon was not even served on Sugrim, but on his girlfriend.
Puran said that his client had these same matters discharged by Magistrate Fazil Azeez at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court, then by Magistrate Ann Mc Clennan at the Wales Magistrate’s Court.
The lawyer also stated that the Director of Public Prosecution had also withdrawn charges against his client.
If this charge is read to Surgim, this would make it the fourth time that he is charged with the same offence. The charge had stemmed from a police raid in 2007.

The first time the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had withdrawn the charges and the second time the case had been discharged because witnesses did not show up.
Shortly after, he once again appeared in court charged with the same offences and the matter was discharged following submissions by Sugrim’s attorney, Glen Hanoman. Sugrim, 43, of Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, had pleaded not guilty to the charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
It was alleged that on June 28, 2007, at his home, he was found with a .32 Taurus pistol and a .32 Walther pistol, without being the holder of a firearm licence. Sugrim, was also accused of having, on the same day, seventy-five .32 rounds of ammunition and 85 twelve-gauge cartridges without being the holder of a firearm licence.

The lawyer in his submissions argued that the DPP had abused the process of the court. Recalling the background of the case, in written submissions, he questioned whether the DPP has the power to reinstitute in the magistrate’s court, a prosecution that she had already formally discontinued, reinstituted and which was discharged after the continuous absence of prosecution witnesses.
In June 2007, when he first appeared in court, Sugrim was jointly charged with his wife, Michelle Davis. He was reportedly wanted by United States authorities to face trial for allegedly conspiring to traffic in narcotics and had been arrested in a police operation and an extradition hearing was held.
During this time, the DPP withdrew the charges against him leaving Davis to face them alone.
She also faces a charge of harbouring a wanted man, Sugrim. Following the extradition hearing at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton had committed Sugrim into custody to await extradition to the US to face trial for allegedly conspiring to traffic in narcotics.
But on April 17 last year, Justice Jainarayan Singh Jr. released him on $1M bail in the High Court following a habeas corpus application by his legal team. The judge had found that many factual errors were made by the magistrate during the gearing and they were serious enough transgressions to render her rulings in relation to the committal unlawful and unfair.

However shortly after his release, police had rearrested Sugrim and slapped him with the charges of illegal possession of guns and ammunition and he was then taken to Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson, where he was granted bail.
The trial took place at the Vreed-en-Hoop magistrate’s court, where Magistrate Fazil Azeeze discharged the matter after witnesses were not turning up.
On February 17, eleven days after the case was discharged at Vreed-en-Hoop, Sugrim was charged again with the same offences and appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
He was placed on $300,000 bail by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson. The case was transferred to the Wales Magistrate’s Court where Magistrate McClennan presided.

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