Region 10 Chairman’s Driver in custody for Linden GECOM fire matter

Jul 11, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Three Lindeners were on Friday remanded to prison by Magistrate, Wanda Fortune, at the Linden Magistrate’s Court, for unlawfully and maliciously setting the GECOM Linden office on fire.

Roy Marshall.

One of the men is an associate of the People’s National Congress and a former Community Development Officer. He has been identified as 48-year-old Byron Kendall called ‘Murgie,’ of Lot 165 Middle Street, Kara Kara, Linden. The other two have been identified as Teon February called ‘Nut,’ age 23 years and a labourer of Lot G 5, Canvas City, Wismar, Linden; and Marlon Hunter called ‘Bushy,’ age 21 years and hails from 4th Street, Silver Town, Wismar, Linden.
They were not required to plea to the indictable offence. Marlon Hunter was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Yondessa Welcome. Welcome made bail application and stated that her client is not a flight risk but the prosecutor objected to bail and stated that all three men are considered as flight risks. She also stated that while the offence is a bailable one, the building in question is a state building with public information. The Prosecutor stated that her file is completed and that the defendants are being investigated for other offences. They will return to court on July 30th, 2021.
Meanwhile, Roy Marshall, a driver attached to the Office of the Regional Chairman of Region 10, was arrested on Thursday by ranks of the Guyana Police Force, in relation to the investigation and is currently in custody at the Criminal Investigation Department in Georgetown. According to the police, Kendall allegedly admitted to the offence and named Marshall – a resident of Independence Avenue, Mackenzie, Linden – as the orchestrator and the person who provided the funds.

Teon February.

Byron Kendall.

Family members of Marshall took to social media expressing the way the arrest was done and that they were not informed about his location up to Friday midday. His wife related, that three men in plain clothes went and ‘bram’ down the door and arrested Roy without saying what he was being arrested for. Winter however said that Marshall was properly arrested. Meanwhile Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, in a statement expressed concern over the way Marshall was arrested.
On Thursday, police said they made a significant breakthrough in the investigation surrounding the fire when two young men allegedly confessed to the matter.
In a release, the police stated that a video interview was conducted with Teon February, during which he admitted to being involved. According to February, he was contacted by one ‘Murgie’ whose correct name is Bryon Kendall of Wismar, Linden, on the night of July 13, 2020. Kendall, who is a PNC associate and former Community Development Officer, told him that he wanted him to burn the GECOM building. February said he then told his cousin, Marlon Hunter, to join him and on the said night sometime after 22:00 hours, Kendall picked them up in a silver Note motor car and they drove to Burnham Drive where Kendall pointed out the building to them.

Marlon Hunter.

February said Kendall told him that he wanted the building to burn the same night and that he would give them $150,000 on completion of the task. Kendall gave them a yellow five-gallon bottle of gas, which he had in his car trunk at the time and then left. February said they hid the gas in some nearby bushes a short distance from the GECOM building and they went home. About midnight on July 14, 2020, he and his cousin Marlon left on foot. On arrival, they collected the gas, entered the compound from a side gate and gained access to the GECOM building from the back door.
February said they then went to what appeared to be a storeroom in the upper flat of the building where he threw the gas and lit the room on fire. After setting the room on fire, there was an explosion, which caused them to receive burns on their feet. He said they escaped from the scene and went home using the same route they took to get to the building. On their arrival home, he said his three cousins, Tasha, Tash and Talla were home. February said they told them (cousins) what had transpired and Tasha assisted them with tending to the burns. The same night Kendall went to their home and gave him (February) $75,000 which he gave to his cousin, Marlon Hunter.
The following morning, Kendall gave him the other $75,000. After that date, February said he saw Kendall several times but he did not say anything about the incident. He added that Kendall told him that the reason for burning the building was because GECOM was taking too long to swear in former President, Mr. David Granger.
Marlon Hunter was next interviewed on camera and he supported the story told by February. Investigations are in progress.