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Orlando Thom could face two indictable charges this week
Former national swimming champion turned gunman, Onan Orlando Thom, is likely to appear in court early this week on indictable charges that include abduction.
Police have indicated that they are seeking further advice from the Director of Public Prosecution on the way forward with charges against the once most wanted man from the mining town of Linden.
Orlando Thom
Thom, for whom a wanted bulletin was issued in March this year, surrendered to police in Linden last Thursday after more than a month hiding in the remote backlands of Linden.
The Old England, Upper Demerara resident turned himself in around 15:00 hours after receiving assurances from the police of his safety from “drugs men” with whom he claimed his main “beef” was.
“We had initial legal advice but based on our interview with Thom subsequent to his surrender, we are returning for further advice on at least two indictable offences,” Divisional Commander David Ramnarine told Kaieteur News yesterday.
The wanted bulletin that was issued for Thom was in connection with the abduction of another man in Linden. However he is also likely to face charges in connection with a shooting incident that also took place in the mining town. During his time on the run, Thom was rumoured to be armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.
However, Assistant Commissioner Ramnarine has indicated that there are no immediate plans to institute charges against Thom for the possession of the weapon.
“So far we have not been able to gather evidence in relation to arms and ammunition,” Ramnarine said.
Despite the impending charges, Thom is maintaining his innocence, claiming that his actions were to protect himself from drug dealers operating in the Linden area with help from rogue police elements. Following the wanted bulletin in March, police had dispatched a special team to hunt down Thom after it was alleged that he was terrorising members of an Old England family.
In an interview with this newspaper shortly after he went into hiding, Thom had indicated that he was not prepared to surrender since the police could not guarantee his safety from the drug dealers he was in conflict with.
Last week Divisional Commander Ramnarine told this newspaper that Thom did make contact with the police on Wednesday.
He explained that Thom again contacted him on Thursday and this time he again expressed concern about his safety.
“I told him that he needed to trust me and that turning himself in was in his and our best interest,” Ramnarine stated. His surrender has brought some measure of relief to his mother, Jeana Fredericks, who believes that her son is safer in the custody of the police.
“I give glory to God that he is safe. I know he is safer with the police than out there where the drugs men were after him. Thank God for the Guyana Police Force,” Fredericks declared last Thursday, minutes after her son was taken into the safety of the Divisional Headquarters, Eve Leary.
The woman said that her son had contacted her indicating he wanted to surrender and she made the relevant calls.
Fredericks is certain that had her son remained in hiding he would have been killed eventually, since the hunt for him was relentless.
“They were after him almost every night. They were hunting even where we live and we were afraid,” Fredericks said. “Only Monday night (last week) they actually get through to kill him but God saved his life because he is here for a purpose,” the woman added.
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