K/News robbery trial to continue in October

Aug 31, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – The trial into the October 2022 robbery of Kaieteur News will continue on October 17, 2023. The matter was called before Magistrate Leron Daly on Monday.

Lemuel Grant

Twenty-five-year-old Ivor Belingie called ‘WildLife’ of Back Circle, East Ruimveldt, and 23-year-old Lemuel Grant, a clerk of Russell Street, Charlestown, were charged for robbing the Kaieteur News office located in Georgetown.

The duo was among the suspects remanded to prison for being involved in the October 10, 2022, armed robbery carried out at the media entity. While others have pleaded guilty and were jailed, Belingie and Grant have maintained their innocence which resulted in the matter going to trial before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Belingie and Grant made their last court appearance on Monday.

Earlier this year, former Kaieteur News employee, 33-year-old Ryan Wharton, and 36-year-old Harry Stongster of Hyde Park, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD) changed their initial not guilty pleas and admitted to being a part of the robbery.

Trial for the persons involved in the Kaieteur News robbery

Wharton of R4-574 Canary Street, Tucville, Georgetown, and Stongster were both sentenced on January 24, 2023, to 50 and 48 months respectively. Notably, 35-year-old Joshua Junor, Kaieteur News security guard of Middle Road, La Penitence, later changed his plea and was sentenced.

This publication had reported that between October 9, 2022, and October 10, 2022, at Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, while being armed with a dangerous weapon, the defendants robbed Kaieteur News owned by Glenn Lall of $38.8 million, a Republic Bank cheque valued at $9.1 million, US$9,306, one black .32 Taurus pistol serial number FHS60749 valued $350,000, ammunition valued at $480,000, one firearm case valued at $25,000, two handles valued at $10,000 and six magazines valued at $60,000. The charge also stated that the men allegedly robbed Noel Junor, the other security guard who was on duty of $5000, and Wayne Lyttle, a graphic artist, who was also on duty, of one cellular phone valued at $44,000.

According to reports, during the wee hours of Monday, October 10, three bandits entered the Kaieteur News office and stole a safe containing millions of dollars along with a firearm and ammunition. Wharton was the first to be arrested. While in custody, he reportedly confessed to plotting the crime with Junor who was one of two security guards on duty during the commission of the robbery – and several others.

According to police, Wharton and Junor had reportedly been planning to rob the company a while back but had only finalised their scheme the Sunday morning prior to the robbery. They allegedly contracted Stongster and Belingie to be their accomplices and allegedly borrowed a Toyota Spacio motorcar from another accused to transport them to and from the Kaieteur News office.

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