A local footballer was yesterday released on bail on an attempted murder charge after his lawyer told a city court that there was no way he could have committed the crime since he was not in the country at the time.
It is alleged that on April 10th, at North Ruimveldt, Dwayne Lawrence, 22, discharged a loaded weapon at Kevin Aaron with intent to murder him.
Lawrence was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which was read to him by Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that Lawrence and Aaron are well known to each other and the altercation between them arose after some money was owed to defendant for personal business between the men.
Jones said Aaron positively identified Lawrence as the person who shot him in the leg. The prosecutor objected to bail while citing the nature and gravity of the offence and the penalty it attracts. He also cited the fact that an alleged firearm was used.
Attorney Mark Waldron, who appeared for Lawrence, made an application for bail to be granted to Lawrence, whom he said is a football player for the Slingerz Football Club.
The attorney argued that his client had only returned to Guyana from Suriname on April 14th and therefore it was not possible that he could have shot at Aaron on April 10th since he wasn’t in the country. He also showed the court Lawrence’s passport with the relevant immigration stamps to substantiate the accused’s alibi.
Waldron also expressed his dissatisfaction that Lawrence was in custody since Monday and he was never placed on any identification parade. He also questioned why, if his client was wanted by the police for the offence, he was allowed to leave the country on April 26th, long after the alleged offence occurred.
Due to Waldron’s revelations, prosecutor Jones requested that Lawrence’s passport be kept by the court so that an immigration officer can visit and verify the stamps.
Lawrence was subsequently released on $300,000 bail and also warned to stay 50 feet away from Aaron until the completion of the trial.
The case was adjourned to July 22nd.
