JUSTICE Winston Patterson and a mixed jury in the Non Pariel robbery/murder trial yesterday heard how, on October 5, 2006, murder accused Cyon Collier, called ‘Picture Boy’, led the police to the bedroom of a house at Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara, where an AK-47 assault rifle was found.
Collier is facing trial for the murder of Chandrapaul Persaud, called ‘Kero man’, who was shot dead when three armed intruders entered his Non Pariel home on September 30, 2006 and robbed his wife, Nazeema Isshack, of cash and jewellery.
The intruders also stole Persaud’s Toyota motor car, which was later found abandoned at Paradise, East Coast Demerara.
Collier was identified as one of the robbers, but he has pleaded not guilty, and is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Lyndon Amsterdam in association with attorneys Miss Keshia Chase and Miss Yolanda Lamott.
Assistant Superintendent Michael Kingston, who testified yesterday, heads the Criminal Investigations Department for Police ‘C’ Division, and is stationed at Cove and John, E.C.D.
He testified that on the night of September 30, 2006, he received certain information in relation to the car stolen by the alleged bandits from Chandrapaul Persaud at Non Pariel.
At about 10:00 hrs the following day, he went to an unserviceable rice mill compound at Factory Road, Paradise, where he found a silver gray Toyota Carina 212, which he drove to the Cove & John Police Station and lodged to be dusted for fingerprints.
On 5th October 2006, at about 5:00 hrs, he and  approximately 12 police officers and between 15 and 20  members of the Guyana Defence Force went to a house at Lot 33 Bachelor’s Adventure, E.C.D., because of information received that Collier and Anthony Charles, called ‘Kussum’, were in that house.
On entering he found the accused, and he put the allegation to him that he, in company of others, had robbed Nazeema Isshack of $100,000 cash plus $38,000 in gold jewellery, and that during the course of the robbery they had shot and killed Chandrapaul Persaud. He then cautioned Collier.
According to the witness, Collier responded: “Bossman, me ain’t been deh!”
Witness said that Collier then took him and ASP Linden Lord to a bedroom in the said house, where they found an AK-47 assault rifle with 13 rounds of 7.62 x 39 ammunition in the magazine, and a .25 Astra pistol with two matching rounds in the magazine.
Lord also found a Mossburg pump-action shotgun in the said room.
Kingston then arrested Collier and took him to the Cove and John Police Station. Kingston said that he placed his initials on the weapons and caused Collier to place his initials on them as well.
Kingston marked and sealed the weapons and ammunition and took same to Sergeant Eon Jackson at Ballistics Section, Eve Leary, for examination.
According to Kingston, on December 17, 2007, when he testified before the magistrate at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court, he tendered the AK-47 assault rifle.
Before the judge and jury in court, he identified the weapons and showed the jury the initials of the accused on the weapons. Same was tendered in evidence at this trial.
Kingston said that ‘Kussum’ died in a shoot-out with police subsequent to the raid on the property where Collier was found.
Kingston also said that AK-47 assault rifles are not issued to civilians, only to military and paramilitary personnel.
The witness further testified that sometime after the raid on the property at Bachelor’s Adventure, a man named Mr. Williams presented himself to the Cove & John Police Station to claim certain items that had been removed by the police. Mr. Williams, according to the witness, had indicated that he had secured his property and had gone to work in the interior. He had learnt via the newspapers that police had raided his home, where they had arrested bandits with weapons.
Under cross-examination, Kingston said that he had worn gloves to drive the car to the station. He said that finger-prints were lifted from the car but they were smudged and not usable.
Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin is the lead prosecutor in this case. She is associated with Mrs. Teshana James-Lake.
The hearing continues.