Terrence McLean, the man who tried to extort $10 million from a city bank in the name of ISIS by threatening to detonate a bomb he claimed he had on him, was yesterday sentenced to three years in jail for the crime.
McLean, 34, pleaded guilty after he was read the charge by city magistrate Judy Latchman, who handed down the sentence.
Prior to sentencing, he told the court that the bank mishandled the situation and should have handed over the money he demanded as it put everyone’s life in danger.
McLean admitted that on June 28, at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) branch on Regent Street, he demanded for himself $10,000,000 from Dahana Ramjist, with intent to steal the said sum.
Prosecutor Vishnu Hunt told the court that at around 9.20am, McLean went into bank and requested to speak with the manager.
After he made the request, he handed the manager a note, which stated, “ISIS, there’s a bomb in the bag, give us $10,000,000 in figures or you’ll all die.”
However, after he demanded the sum, an alarm was raised and the police were summoned. On arrival, McLean dropped a bag he had in his possession and shouted something. He was subsequently arrested and a search of the bag uncovered a few documents and a knife.
When asked by the magistrate if he wanted to say anything in relation to the matter, McLean stated that the bank should have handed over the money because the next time someone could turn up with an actual bomb and everyone would die if it adopted the same flawed procedure.
Taking into consideration McLean’s statement as well as the seriousness of the threat and its impact on society, the magistrate sentenced him to three years, which is the maximum time for the offence.
