Sees attempt to tarnish character
Businessman Clayton Hutson turned himself in to investigators yesterday, accompanied by two lawyers, to be questioned in connection with an arms and ammunition find.
Police had issued wanted bulletins for Hutson, Trinidadian Joseph Aboud and Frankie Ross last Friday for questioning over an allegation about the illegal importation of firearms, prompted by the discovery of a cache of high-powered weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and other items at a Regent Street, Bourda house. Aboud had turned himself in on Tuesday and up to press time yesterday, he was still in police custody. Ross remains at large.
Hutson turned himself over to officers at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary around 10 am yesterday in the company of attorneys-at-law Joseph Harmon and Nigel Anthony.
According to a statement, which the lawyers released to the media, Hutson, “who is a businessman with significant investments in the hinterland of Guyana reported that since Thursday, September 25, he was in the hinterland attending to his business… [He] only became aware that there was an allegation made against him, which the police were investigating, when he returned to Georgetown on Tuesday”.
Aboud had also said that he was away in the interior.
The attorneys in their statement condemned the practice of the police to publish photographs and other biographic details of citizens even before any significant efforts are made to locate them.
Hutson has denied any knowledge of the allegation being made against him and published widely in the newspapers.
“He considers this another attempt to tarnish his character particularly having regard to the chronology of past police matters also published in the newspapers. Mr Hutson is confident that this attempt to link him with criminal activity will not succeed,” the statement read.
After the bulletins were issued, police entered a Cummings Street residence in search of Aboud, who had been held in Nandy Park house with several others in 2006 when the army descended on the property in search of the missing AK-47 rifles. He was allowed to remain in the country on the basis of his marriage to a Guyanese.
From information received by this newspaper none of Hutson’s residential or business properties was searched. Since then there has been no official word from the police relating to the investigation.
Meanwhile, Stabroek News learnt from a legal source yesterday that a 16-year-old girl was arrested at her East Bank Demerara home on Tuesday in connection with the probe and brought to the city without the knowledge of her parents.
The girl was reportedly held because of allegations that she has some sort of connection with Hutson, but this newspaper was told that the girl has denied this.
Police confiscated the girl’s cell phone to aid them in their investigations. Up to press time she was still being held at the East La Penitence Police Station.
The three women
The day after the discovery of the arms and ammunition, three women who are occupants of the house and who are closely related to one of the men being sought, were arrested. They were grilled by investigators, but repeatedly denied any knowledge of the items found at their home. The items were reportedly found in a plastic barrel that was in the yard.
In a surprising turn of events the women were released on station bail on Sunday and are required to report to the police on a regular basis.
Sources close to the investigation said that it would be difficult at this stage to determine if charges would be brought against the women.
Police could not say why the women were released in the early stages of an investigation that could crack a major criminal ring operating here. Observers have raised questions as to why this was done without a charge being laid, even though the illegal items were found on the premises where the trio had been living for years.
A legal source told Stabroek News that this move by the police was a strange one, although the law does provide for someone to be released under special circumstances. The source said there must have been extra special circumstances, since they were released without a charge related to unlawful possession or knowledge of the illegal items being laid.
There are suspicions that the weapons were recently imported and were just being temporarily stored at the house. Ballistics tests were completed and showed that the weapons were not used in the commission of any crime here.
Sources said that contrary to what was being said, the weapons were not discovered by the members of the joint services nor were they found in a barrel.
Reports are that owing to a “falling out”, an army official was informed about the items and a bag containing same was handed over to him on Wednesday. The bag, which was being stored in the house, was later handed over to a senior officer. The military turned up at the house and searched it without even a policeman being present. Under the law, this is an illegal act.
The army subsequently informed the police of the discovery and they went to the home and collected a barrel that was in the yard.
It is unclear why this was done but this newspaper understands that it belongs to Ross, who would frequent the house but does not reside there.
Police, in a release issued last Thursday, said that members of the joint services searched the Lot 120 Regent Street, Bourda, house around 6.30 pm on Wednesday. There they said they discovered an AK-47 rifle with the number filed off, a pistol with a silencer, a Mossberg shotgun, 713 rounds of ammunition of various calibre, 7 magazines for different firearms, a green camouflage water bottle and a green canvas pouch in a barrel.
