The trial of the three accused in last year’s Ramada Princess casino robbery will restart next year.
The trial of Wayne Griffith, Junior Stewart and Andrew Blackman is being restarted after initial trial magistrate Leron Daly recused herself.
When the case was called last Friday, Magistrate Judy Latchman, who is now presiding over the trial, adjourned the matter until January 5, when the trial is expected to start, after police prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves reported that there are a total of 57 witnesses in the matter.It is alleged that Griffith, Stewart and Blackman, while being in the company of others and armed with guns, robbed cashiers of $8,951,000, which was the property of the Princess Casino, on April 29, at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
During the attack, four casino employees—Eon Garraway, 32, who is a clerk, James Gregory, Orlando Knights and Udairan Sookraj—were shot. Lance Corporal 17352 Andrew Richardson, who is attached to the Brickdam Impact Base, was also shot during a gunfight with the men while responding to a report of the robbery.
The Guyana Police Force had said in a statement that four gunmen entered the casino and discharged rounds into the air. They held up the security guard who was on duty and took away his shotgun and ammunition, then proceeded to the cashiers, taking away foreign and local currency.
Stabroek News was told that Griffith was held after he reportedly found himself trapped in a maintenance room. He is reported to have attempted to take off his mask and leave the premises, but the police were alerted and he was promptly arrested. A search was conducted on his person and a shotgun was recovered.
Blackman was subsequently arrested and then Stewart, who was held at his sister’s house at Vreed-en-Hoop. A bag containing $922,000 was also discovered.
