Two men who were charged with robbing a businessman at Coomacka Mines, Upper Demerara River, on Emancipation Day were yesterday remanded to prison and ordered to appear in the Linden Magistrate’s Court on 15 September 2015.
When the matter came up for hearing before Magistrate Clive Nurse in the Linden Magistrate’s Court, prosecuting officer, Police Sergeant Pindar said the state was changing the charge against Justin Percival of robbery under arms of Naresh Puran on 1 August 2015 to proceed with a joint charge against Percival and another of robbery under arms of Puran at Coomacka Mines, Upper Demerara River. Twenty-nine-year old Junior Melville of First Street, Silvertown, Wismar, a miner, was the other person charged with robbery under arms.
They were accused of taking a .32 pistol; 11 rounds of .32 ammunition and $1M, amounting to a total value of $1,427,000.
Attorney Konyo Thompson, who appeared on behalf of Percival said that she visited him at the Mackenzie Police Station on Sunday afternoon and found that there was personal violence against his person. She said thirty-three-year-old Percival lives at 394 Moraballi Street, Retrieve, Mackenzie, Linden. Attorney. Thompson also told the court that Percival is a mechanic and is the father of an eleven-year-old child.
She said that Percival was a passenger in a registered taxi when he was arrested and the driver of the taxi had not been charged. She asked that Percival be put on bail. She also called for Percival to be allowed an independent medical examination and that the police continue further investigation before proceeding with the case.
Melville pleaded not guilty to the charge of possession on 1 August 2015 of three live rounds of .38 ammunition. He also pleaded not guilty to the possession of a .38 special revolver on 1 August 2015 without possession of a firearm licence.
The prosecuting officer requested of the magistrate that bail should be refused because of the seriousness of the offences. She said that without going into the pros and cons of the issue, the gravity of the offences “along with the fact that these persons were found with part of the proceeds of the robbery on the day in question” should be enough for the accused men to be denied bail.
