Two Guyanese freed, another to stand trial for deadly gas station bombing

Apr 21, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – The Preliminary Inquiry into the deadly gas station bombing concluded on Monday at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court 2, resulting in a split legal outcome for three individuals accused of aiding and abetting the crime of October 26, 2025.

The deadly blast killed six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injured unsuspecting shoppers, workers and commuters.

Principal Magistrate Alisha George upheld a no-case submission made by defense attorney Bernard DaSilva on behalf of 51-year-old Ramesh Pramdeo and 44-year-old Wayne Corriea, effectively discharging them of all charges. However, a third accused, Jennifer Rodrigues was committed to stand trial in the High Court after the court found sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case against her.

The trio was jointly charged with Terrorism, contrary to Section 309(A)(1)(b)(i) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01. The prosecution’s case alleged that Pramdeo and Corriea aided and abetted Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedomo (alias ‘Kynny’) and Alexander Bettencourt in committing a terrorist act that resulted in the death of Soraya Bourne.

Under Guyanese law, the charge of terrorism carries a potential penalty of death if the act results in the loss of life. During the proceedings, the State argued that it only needed to establish prima facie proof. The prosecution highlighted that a terrorist act was committed, the accused aided or abetted the commission of said act and the accused knew or ought to have known their actions were facilitating terrorism.

The prosecution team presented a massive volume of evidence to the court, including two hundred and forty-four (244) statements from witnesses, thirty-nine (39) documentary exhibits, sixty-one (61) discs, three (3) sets of photographs and one flash drive. The State cited legal precedents such as R v Galbraith and State v Alvin Mitchell, arguing that the Magistrate’s role at this stage was not to determine final guilt, but to assess if the evidence was strong enough to proceed to a higher court.

Despite the volume of evidence submitted, DaSilva successfully argued that the evidence against Pramdeo and Corriea was insufficient to link them to the crime as accessories. After reviewing the submissions, Magistrate George agreed that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the two men.

In contrast, the evidence against Jennifer Rodrigues was deemed sufficient to warrant a trial before a judge and jury. She remains the sole individual from this group now facing the High Court for the capital offense. The case stems from a broader investigation involving several other individuals, including Krystal LaCruz and Jhonny Boodram, who were previously charged in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court in connection with the same incident.

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gas station bombing, Ramesh Pramdeo, Soraya Bourne, Wayne Corriea

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