Five men and a juvenile, who according to the police were nabbed with a quantity of ammunition and explosives at Camp Groomes on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, were yesterday remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
It is alleged that on January 24, at Camp Groomes, Michael Singh, Paul Sookhoo, Michael Sookhoo, Umkar Persaud, Robert Persaud and a juvenile who cannot be named for legal reasons, had in their possession fifty-four 122 cannon warheads, being components of ammunition without lawful authority. On the same day also, the men are accused by the police of having in their possession a quantity of explosives, being two aquatic mines, without lawful authority.
The jointly charged men were not required to plead to the indictable charges of unlawful possession of ammunition
components and explosives when they were read to them at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Singh, 28, is a labourer of Speightland, Lower Kara Kara; Paul Sookhoo, 37, is a woodcutter of Speightland, Lower Kara Kara; Michael Sookhoo, 48, is a lumberjack of Speightland, Lower Kara Kara; Umkar Persaud, 50, resides at 1K Lamaha Street, Kitty; and miner Robert Persaud, l8, lives at 15 Middleton Street, Campbellville.
The juvenile, 15, is a woodcutter.
In giving the facts of the case, prosecutor Lionel Harvey told the court that on the day in question, at approximately 2 pm, two ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were on patrol when they realised the men had what appeared to be scrap iron.
Harvey related to the court that the ranks who were just outside their base at Camp Groomes decided to investigate and they found the men who had the items mentioned in the charge in a canter vehicle.
A report was subsequently made which led to the arrest of the defendants.
Attorney Vic Puran, who represented the six, told the court that his clients were innocent of the charges levelled against them and they were also anxiously awaiting the trial to clear their names.
Puran, in his address to the court, said that after Camp Groomes had been affected by a device which detonated some years ago, remnants of the explosion had been left in the area. These remnants are used as scrap iron, he said.
According to Puran, his clients were not trespassing on the GDF base and genuinely believed that they were handling scrap metal which they thought they were given permission to do.
Puran argued that his clients are not “that brave” to enter an active army camp and knowingly remove unlawful items. The lawyer said too that even the prosecution in its facts acknowledged that “there was a belief that the items were scrap metals.”
The lawyer then added that the “so-called” ammunition and explosives were at no time in the possession of his clients but were rather in a nearby heap.
He again stressed that his clients are innocent, adding that he preferred to leave further details for the trial.
He then made an application for the men to be admitted to reasonable bail on the grounds that they all, with the exception of Michael Sookhoo, have unblemished records.
Puran disclosed that Sookhoo had a traffic matter some years ago.
In his plea for bail, the lawyer said that the defendants have fixed addresses, pose no risk of flight and have been cooperating with police investigations.
After listening to the case however, the Magistrate granted the prosecution’s request and remanded the six to prison. The case was transferred to the Christianburg Magistrates’ Court for February 1.
