Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys yesterday said that he will issue an arrest warrant for President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Colwyn King if he does not make a court appearance today for his assault and unlawful wounding cases.
This is the second time in a row that King has been absent from the proceedings and Magistrate Gilhuys became upset yesterday when his lawyer Jaya Manickchand told him that King was in the North West and could not make it to court.
It is alleged that on September 30 last at Charlotte Street, King assaulted Onica Timmerman. He made his first court appearance on October 5 before Gilhuys who released him on $25,000 bail after he denied the allegations.
The case was then adjourned to January 4 this year, but the GTU head never showed up and yesterday’s date was set for the next hearing.
When the case was called around 9:30 am yesterday, Manickchand told the court that her client was in the North West and could not come to court. Gilhuys in response told her that if he did not appear before him today then an arrest warrant will be issued and then he will be remanded to prison whenever he is caught or appears in court.
On hearing this the attorney pleaded with the magistrate to revisit his decision but he held his ground saying that King had no respect for the court and didn’t even appear on the last occasion.
Gilhuys said that he will issue the warrant because the case jacket showed that he hadn’t appeared on January 4.
Manickchand in continuing to plead even asked for a date next week in order for her client to appear but the magistrate stuck to his decision.
The attorney even attempted to ask for time to telephone her client but the magistrate said that he has to be before him today.
