One day after his release from hospital David Leander called David Zammett and `Biscuit’ was yesterday read a charge of murder for the slaying of Agriculture Minister Satyadeow `Sash’ Sawh and his siblings last year.
This is the third charge Leander, for whom police had issued a wanted bulletin, has faced since he was captured during a joint services operation in Buxton, a little over a week ago and he made an appearance at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Leander was one of several persons that police had said that they wanted in connection with the murder of Minister Sawh.
And in a surprising twist, members of the media were barred by police from entering the courtroom to cover the proceedings and when asked for a reason for this move they were told that ‘instructions were given’ and as such they could not enter the courtroom.
Those at the court divulged this development to their colleagues who were at police press conference and when asked, Commander of `C’ Division Leroy Brummell said that that move was taken for security reasons. He said too that the reporters were being blocked because they wanted to go into the courtroom with cameras.
Twenty-eight-year-old Leander of Vigilance, East Coast Demerara is now jointly charged with Jermaine `Skinny’ Charles for the minister’s murder. Charles was charged late last year with the very offence.
Last week Friday, visibly battered and unable to walk, Leander appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton charged with the attempted murder of Randy Joseph, a Buxtonian in 2004 and possession of five grammes of narcotics which he allegedly had in his pockets when he was captured.
In court yesterday the attempt-to-commit-murder charge was withdrawn and reinstituted jointly with Canase Glasgow. Stabroek News was unable to ascertain whether Glasgow is in custody.
The murder case has been transferred to the Sparendaam Magis-trate’s Court for November 23. The other matters will be heard on the same day at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.
Leander was admitted to the Georgetown Hospital last Friday after Justice Jainarayan Singh Jr upon seeing his condition at court ordered that he be taken immediately to a doctor of his choice to be examined. The doctor advised that Leander be hospitalized.
Prior to this, he had appeared before Magistrate Octive-Hamilton and was remanded to prison.
Police had issued a wanted bulletin for Leander in relation to investigations into the murder of agriculture minister Satyadeow Sawh, his siblings and security guard; Anson Melville at Friendship on January 11, 2004; William ‘Grego’ Adams at Friendship on August 2, 2004; and the attempted murder of Randy Joseph at Friendship on October 4, 2004. Leander was charged in relation to Joseph and for having five grammes of cannabis in his possession when he was arrested.
He was captured a little over a week ago during a joint services operation in Buxton that resulted in the deaths of Noel ‘Baby’ James who was recently released from prison after serving a sentence for larceny and Orlando ‘Bullet’ Andrews who was wanted for a number of murders.