Lance Corporal Delon Younge was yesterday jointly charged with another man over the abduction of Aurora Gold Mines supervisor Kevin Fiedtkou and both were remanded to prison.
Younge, 30, and Akeemo Brummell, 29, a pork knocker, were charged with abducting Fiedtkou on October 10, 2024, at Giftland Mall, Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara. They appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Last week Younge appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Clive Nurse on the charge of conspiracy to commit a felony and was placed on $40,000 bail and given a February 25th date to return to prison.
However, he and Brummell were yesterday accused of approaching Fiedtkou and identifying themselves as officers from the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). They allegedly led him to a vehicle bearing licence plate number PYY 4033 and drove the victim to Mandela Avenue, where they demanded valuables. Under duress, Fiedtkou reportedly took the men to his home and handed over $9 million in cash.
Police Sergeant Dinero Jones, prosecuting, told the court that on the following day, October 11, 2024, the men returned to Fiedtkou’s residence to demand additional money and valuables. This time, they managed to obtain $40,000 and also took the DVR from the home’s security system.
Sergeant Jones stated that surveillance footage from Giftland Mall and other locations identified Brummell as one of the perpetrators. He further informed the court that the defendants had conspired to commit the offence and the prosecution was seeking to deny bail to send a strong message.
Attorney George Thomas appeared on behalf of the defendants, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the charges. He stated that his client, Younge, was on duty at a police-managed compound on the day of the alleged offence and had provided a voluntary statement to police. In this statement, Younge claimed he had lent his car to a friend and was unaware that it was being used to commit a crime.
Thomas also contended that his other client, Brummell, was not in Georgetown at the time of the incident. He asserted that Brummell was innocent of the charges and had witnesses who could testify to his alibi. He further alleged that the second visit to the victim’s home was carried out by other individuals, including a police officer named Stuart, who was reportedly driving the vehicle during this instance.
Additionally, Thomas criticised the police for conducting what he described as a flawed identification parade and maintained that Brummell had provided neither a verbal nor written statement to investigators.
In response, the prosecution rebutted these claims, asserting they had a statement from Sergeant Stuart which revealed that Younge had called him to arrange a drop-off.
After considering the arguments, Magistrate Azore denied bail. The case has been adjourned to January 15, 2025, when it will be brought before Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty for reassignment.
The police had been heavily criticised for not bringing charges earlier in a case that ensnared two cops.
Fiedtkou in an interview with Stabroek News on December 28th had expressed frustration over the delay in charges.
He related to this newspaper that when he asked the police for an update on his matter, he was told that they were awaiting information from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
He added, “Those police walking freely enjoying life, even have the car they did the abduction with as if nothing happened.” The clearly disappointed man added that “Justice seems like a farfetched something, it is definitely wrong here and I’m staying away from that station as that’s the station the two police worked at where I have to go to inquire about the progress of the case.”
Fiedtkou also said that things are not and will never be the same for him and his family, but expressed optimism that justice will one day be served.
“Against all odds I’m still hoping for justice”, he said. When asked if he feels free to leave his home now, Fiedtkou explained that he is not able to leave his home as he is supposed to and since the incident, life isn’t the same for him. Nevertheless, he said, “I still have a family to feed and bills to pay, I cannot afford to be affected that much, that I’m not able to provide for my family… I explained to my former employers I’ve invested years working with that company and I cannot afford security as it’s too expensive nor would I trust to leave my family as my place of work was miles into the interior… I’ve resigned from my workplace, at least until these people are caught… and even then, leaving my family is always a risk.”
