Two former employees of Kaieteur News were among seven men remanded to prison on Friday for a robbery at the newspaper’s Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown office.
Joshua Junor, 35, a security officer of Middle Street, La Penitence, Georgetown, and Ryan Wharton, 33, a Research Assistant, of Canary Street, Tucville, Georgetown, both former employees of Kaieteur News; Lemuel Grant, 23, a clerk, of Russell Street, Charlestown, Georgetown; 36-year-old Harry Stongster of Hyde Park, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and Ivor Belingie called “Wild Life” appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The joint charge read to them stated that between October 9 and 10 at Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, they robbed Kaieteur News owned by Glenn Lall of $38.8 million in cash, a Republic Bank cheque valued at $9.1 million, US$9360, a .32 Taurus pistol and ammunition valued at $515,000, a firearm case valued at $25,000, six magazines valued at $60,000, among other items.
They were also charged with robbing Noel Junior of $5000 and Wayne Little of a cellular phone worth $44,000. After pleading not guilty to the charges, the men were remanded to prison until November 10 by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who in justifying her decision to remand them, cited the serious nature of the offence and the public’s safety.
Grant was represented by lawyer Eusi Anderson, who submitted that the only part his client played in the commissioning of the crime, was lending his motor car to Wharton, who is his cousin, unknowing that he was going to use the car to commit a crime.
According to him, at the time of the robbery, his client was at a popular bar, and CCTV footage from the establishment will be presented to support his alibi.
Collis Heywood and Kevin France, on the other hand, were separately charged for the unlawful possession of guns and ammunition. The two charges read to Heywood, a 40-year-old chef, of Lot R2-578 Canary Street, Tucville, Georgetown, stated that on October 10 at Georgetown, he had a .32 ammunition and 210 matching rounds in his possession, when he was not the holder of a firearm licence enforced at the time.
Meanwhile, France, 35, a taxi driver of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was accused of having a 9mm pistol along with 10 matching rounds in his possession when he was not the holder of a firearm licence enforced at the time, on the said date at his home. The pair pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded to prison until November 9.
Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers told the court that investigations revealed that the robbery was planned a week prior by Wharton, the mastermind.
According to the prosecutor, a probe into the robbery led to the arrest of Heywood and France—both of whom were found with the company firearm in their possession.
Reports are that three bandits walked into Kaieteur News and held three of its employees at gunpoint, before carting off millions of dollars in cash.
Wharton, who had previously worked with the company as a Research Assistant, was arrested on Monday and confessed to plotting the armed robbery.
He implicated Joshua Junor, who at the time of the robbery, was one of the company’s on-duty security guards. Joshua Junor was the security officer that was seen on CCTV footage of the robbery, being held at gunpoint and forced into a room at the company.
Wharton told investigators that while he used to work with Kaieteur News in 2021, he became friends with Joshua Junor. After he left the job, he admitted that he told Joshua Junor that they could “thief money” from Kaieteur News and he reportedly agreed.
