Shane Shewram, a police officer and businessman from Annandale, East Coast Demerara; Jose Bristol, a businessman from Barr Street, Kitty, Georgetown, and Trevor Jones, a police officer from Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer to charges of extortion.
Shewram and Bristol were jointly charged.
It was alleged that on August 20, 2023, at the Kingston Seawall Esplanade, they used a computer system to threaten Rahul Ramoutar with the release of photos that might cause him embarrassment.
Shewram and Bristol both plead not guilty to the charge.
All three accused were also jointly charged with attempting to extort the sum of $1.2 million from Ramoutar by threatening to reveal private data that could cause embarrassment.
Shewram, Bristol, and Jones all pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution objected to the granting of bail to Shewram, stating that the address he provided to the police was different from the one given to the court by his legal counsel, Nigel Hughes. The police had attempted to find him at the provided address, which proved futile. Additionally, Shewram had not reported to the police as required and had contacted Ramoutar, asking him to drop the case. The prosecution also cited the seriousness of the offence as a reason for the objection.
However, Shewram’s defence counsel argued that her client was unable to contact Ramoutar and that two addresses had been provided in court. She contended that Ramoutar misrepresented facts in court by previously stating that he was contacted by the defendant, Trevor Jones. She assured the court that Shewram would be on good behaviour since his brother, Shawn Shewram, who is also an attorney and was present in court, would ensure it.
Meanwhile, Bristol’s lawyer noted that his client had been placed on station bail and that the money had since been returned to him. He requested bail in a reasonable sum.
Attorney-at-law Gordon Gilhuys, representing Trevor Jones, informed the magistrate that his client, a serving member of the Guyana Police Force, had been at work up until the day before the court appearance. He also mentioned that Jones had initially been placed on station bail and also requested bail in a reasonable sum.
The magistrate subsequently granted bail in the sum of $350,000 on each charge, with conditions including lodging their passports, reporting fortnightly to the CID headquarters, and making no contact with the victim.
The matter was adjourned to July 8.
