Two men, including the operator of Rockies Hotel in Georgetown, were taken before a city court yesterday on a charge of plotting to kill a Lethem businessman.
Mark Grimmond, 57, and Chatterpaul Singh, also known as Kevin Singh, 36, stood before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who read the charge to them.
It is alleged that between April 1st, 2018 and June 7th, 2019, in Georgetown, they conspired with each other and persons unknown to murder Dwayne Grant.
Neither Grimmond, a father of 11 of 320 Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, nor Singh, of Lot 1 First Street, Cummings Lodge, was required to plead to the indictable charge.
Police prosecutor Gordon Mansfield objected to bail being granted, citing the fact that a firearm was used and the seriousness of the crime. The prosecutor then noted that Dwayne Grant, who is a businessman in Lethem, reported to the Lethem police that he was in receipt of certain information that the defendants were plotting to kill him. The police, acting on information, went to a hotel in Lethem, where they met Singh, who at the time was in possession of a firearm. Singh was later arrested and cautioned. Sometime later, in a detailed conversation with the police, Singh allegedly admitted that he was contracted by Grimmond to kill Grant. Grimmond was later arrested and an allegation of conspiracy to commit murder was put to him.
Prosecutor Mansfield further stated that following advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, the charge was instituted against the defendants.
Attorney Bernard Da Silva, in association with Mark Waldron, appeared on behalf of Grimmond, while Singh was unrepresented.
Da Silva told the court that his client is the owner of Mark Interior Communications Incorpo-rated, which is located at 75 Church Street, Georgetown. In an application for reasonable bail, the attorney stated that Grimmond is well known to the police and is not a flight risk as he operates Rockies Hotel on Light Street. He went on to state that at this stage in the proceedings, the nature of the charge demands further investigation, which would take time.
Having heard from both the prosecutor and the attorney, the magistrate remanded both men to prison until June 18th.
