Three University of Guyana (UG) students accused of stealing a quantity of groceries, cash, a car and being in possession of cannabis appeared yesterday before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The allegation against Kester Bryan, Sanjay Surujpaul and Karen Feidtkou is that on March 10 at Georgetown, they stole a quantity of groceries valued $80,000, property of Cleveland Mentore. On the same they, they are accused of breaking into Mentore’s house and stealing $300,000 and a car key. The trio also allegedly stole a car valued $2.8 million, property of Linton Shury.
They were not required to plead to the indictable charges when they were read to them by the magistrate.
Meanwhile, on March 11, Bryan, 21, of 35 Fourth Street, Cummings Lodge and Surujpaul, 18, of Zorg Village, Essequibo are alleged to have had two grams of cannabis in their possession. The men are also accused of cultivating cannabis sativa.
In his application for reasonable bail, attorney-at-law Mark Waldron who represented the young men said that his clients are civil engineering students at UG and are upstanding individuals in society. According to Waldron, his clients have no antecedents, pose no risk of flight, have fixed addresses and have been cooperating with police investigations.
He said Bryan and Surujpaul are friends of Feidtkou who also attends the university.
Waldron said the female defendant asked his clients to assist her in taking the car and items mentioned in the charge to her home at 2967 Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden after she severed her relationship with Shury.
He said the young men decided to assist their friend and are innocent of any wrong doing.
The lawyer said he did not wish to get into further details of what transpired on the days in question.
Meanwhile, in presenting the prosecution’s case, police sergeant Lionel Harvey told the court that on the day in question, Feidtkou, 23, who resides at 47 Fourth Street, Cummings Lodge to facilitate attending UG, had asked the two young men for assistance in removing the items mentioned in the charge.
According to the sergeant, she and Shury had once shared a relationship and after “breaking up, she stole the man’s car”.
Bryan and Surujpaul were remanded on the charge of cultivating marijuana, while they were placed on bail in the sum of $5,000 each on the possession charge. Those matters were transferred to the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court for March 18.
Meantime, all the defendants were admitted to bail in the sum of $450,000 each on the other charges and were ordered to return to court on April 1.
