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Suspected ‘trunkers’ charged with stealing gun, cash from car
Three men who police claim are responsible for robberies targeting businessmen after they had visited commercial banks, were granted $250,000 bail when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday.
Taxi drivers, Afzad Khan, 53, of Belle West, West Coast Demerara, Parmanand Rampersaud, 56, of Kaneville Grove, East Bank Demerara and Randell Douglas, 39, of Palm Street Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Dylon Bess to answer a joint charge of simple larceny.
From left Randell Douglas, Afzad Khan and Parmanand Rampersaud
The charge read that the trio entered Brian Narine’s motor car PJJ 989 on April 26 at Middle Street, Georgetown, and stole a green bag containing $400,000, a .32 Taurus pistol, and 45 rounds of matching ammunition – a total value of $550,000.
They were not required to plead to the indictable charge when it was read to them by Magistrate Bess.
Prosecutor Michael Grant did not disclose any facts about the case but he informed the court the three men are “known characters” to the police department.
He said that the trio had previously been charged on similar offences, and arrested during a “sting” operation set up by police, prior to this offence. He said he is unsure if they were ever convicted “but I know they have been charged before”.
Grant said there is a video footage from a CCTV camera implicating the three accused in a robbery committed a few weeks ago. The prosecutor stated that he believes there are other charges forthcoming and therefore, he asked for more time for the police to bring the additional charges.
The prosecutor then strongly opposed bail for the three defendants based on that fact, and also on the nature of the offence.
However, attorney-at-law Patrice Henry who represented the three men argued that his clients were all law-abiding citizens, who are also working fathers with fixed places of abode.
Given pre-trial liberty, the lawyer said his clients would attend their hearings at the specified times allotted by the court. He then said the police had “ample” opportunity to investigate the alleged additional offences before his clients were brought to court. The lawyer said the prosecutor’s statements were highly prejudicial. He nevertheless made an application for the defendants to be granted reasonable bail.
The magistrate then informed the prosecutor that “being charged does not make you a criminal. As long as you are charged before a court, these men are innocent until proven guilty”.
Magistrate Bess then said he considered the nature of the charge and granted bail to the tune of $250,000 each. The matter was adjourned until May 16.
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