Monday 9
Team of US-based cardiologists bring welcome relief, abundant hope
SCORES of patients who have for years been suffering from various heart diseases benefited from a free two-day cardiology consultation with a team of specialists brought from the United States of America (USA) in a George Subraj-organised initiative that followed a request from Dr. Balwant Singh of the Balwant Singh Hospital at Lot 314 East Street, Georgetown. The visiting team, comprising Dr. Rajiv Jouhar and Dr. Perwaiz, backed up by local qualified cardiologist Dr. Jose Ocampo, performed several procedures at the Balwant Singh Hospital’s state-of-the-art theatre.

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Professional trickster sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment
FORTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD, Gopaul Tiwari, a businessman of Lot 72 Craig, East Bank Demerara, appeared in court with one charge of fraudulent conversion and eight charges of false pretence.

The Chief Magistrate sentenced Tiwari to two years’ imprisonment on each of the false pretence charges, and three years’ imprisonment on the fraudulent conversion charge; but because the sentences will run concurrently, Tiwari will serve only three years for his crimes. Tiwari had been charged with similar offences in another court, but complainants in that matter accepted settlements.
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Brothers viciously chop teen in assault at football game in BV
ONE man has been taken into custody while his brother is being sought by the police following the brutal chopping of 19-year old William Hendricks of Canterbury Walk, Beterverwagting, (B.V.) East Coast Demerara during a game of football in the village. A misunderstanding between Hendricks and the two brothers developed during the game, being played at Ogle Street, B.V, and it turned ugly and ended with Hendricks being brutally chopped about the body, juked in the left eye, and left bleeding on the ground. Both brothers had fled, but the police managed to capture Bujas, while Melville has, to date, not been apprehended.
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Tuesday 10
Police Cadet Officer remanded for allegedly shooting teen in mouth
POLICE Cadet Officer, Franz Paul, of Lot 189 Freeman Street, East La Penitence, appeared in court to answer an allegation that he had shot 15-year old Alex Griffith in his mouth on April 30, 2014 at Georgetown. Paul allegedly placed a firearm in Griffith’s mouth and fired a shot. He was also charged jointly with 31-year-old Police Corporal Bachand Singh with conspiracy to pervert justice.

The duo was sent on $150,000 bail each while Paul was ordered to post $75,000 on an unlawful assault charge. He was however refused bail on the other charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm and discharging a loaded firearm. Both defendants will return to court on June 30.

Robbery accomplice dies after partner opens fire
THREE bandits held up a couple at No. 11 Village, Corentyne and when one of the men discharged a round it struck an accomplice who later succumbed. Police said in a press release that three bandits, two of whom had firearms, held up Rohan Doodnauth and his wife, Renawattie Doodnauth, along with an employee. The bandits demanded cash and valuables and after some jewellery was handed over the men made further demands. While they were threatening the victims, one of them discharged a round that struck an accomplice to the body.

CCJ affirms 4-year jail sentence for Guyanese Paul Lashley, John Campayne
THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) affirmed a 4-year jail sentence imposed on convicted felons Paul Lashley and John Campayne by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on December 28, 2012. The majority verdict was handed down by the CCJ, according to a statement from Guyana’s Director of Public Prosecutions. On June 15, 2012, the police instituted the indictable charge of Break and Enter and Larceny against the two defendants/appellants, 23-year-old Sales Representative, Paul Lashley and 2l-year-old Technician/Gold Miner, John Campayne, of 2 lap top computers, 2 safes, Gy$380,000, thirty thousand Indian rupee-dollar, Gy$925,000, US$2,740 property of Hemant Narine.

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Wednesday 11
Mother of three found dead, with head in bucket of water
A TWENTY—YEAR-OLD mother of three of Friendship, East Bank Demerara was found dead outside her home in the wee hours of the morning and her 31-year old husband was arrested. Dead is Shelly Persaud, of 34 Friendship Public Road, East Bank Demerara, whose body was found at the bottom of her back step, with her head in a bucket of water. According to neighbours, she and her common-law husband, Vindra Krishna Siriram, who went home at about 01:45hrs reeking of alcohol, were heard arguing, but moments later, there was an abrupt silence. The woman’s three children — eight-year old Lisa; Ashley, four; and Arianna Siriram, two — were all traumatised.

Chaos erupts as T&HD Georgetown wharf steps collapse
CHAOS erupted at the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) stelling as the wharf steps collapsed, forcing commuters to disembark vessels from makeshift precariously placed steel ladder. It was utter confusion and as the speedboat passengers who crossed the Demerara River by speedboats from Vreed-en-Hoop arrived to find that several treaders that facilitated their exit from the boats had fallen into the water. As a result, officials there were forced to make an alternative route by which the passengers could exit vessels by climbing up a steel ladder. It led to confusion and cries of protest as overweight and pregnant women as well as elderly men refused to climb the ladder for fear of injury or falling into the river.

Celebrating the Queen’s 88th birthday
GUYANA joined other Commonwealth countries, except Western Australia, in celebrating the Queen’s official birthday in keeping with a tradition going back more than 200 years. The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: Her actual birthday, which is on April 21, and her official birthday. The Queen usually spends her actual birthday privately, but the occasion is marked publicly by gun salutes at midday in central London: A 41-gun salute in Hyde Park; a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park; and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. In 2006, Her Majesty celebrated her 80th birthday with a walkabout in the streets outside of Windsor Castle to meet well-wishers.

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Thursday 12
Speeding motorist kills three on Corentyne highway
THREE persons were killed and two are critical when they were struck by a speeding motor vehicle on the Corentyne Coast last evening. Dead are Latoya Bagot, 19; Juanita Bagot, 17; and Sharmaine Cort, three, all of Phillipi Village. Those critical are Elroy Parks, 28, of Cromarty Village and Matthew McBean, 19, of No. 35 Village.

Reports say that the vehicle struck Park and then drove on to strike the two Bagot girls and Sharmaine Cort, as they came out of a shop where they had gone to buy bread. Then it drove on to hit Matthew McBean. The driver was arrested.

Convicted rapist jailed for 12 years
JUSTICE Brassington Reynolds sentenced convicted rapist, Beesham Gopaul called Thakoor to twelve years imprisonment. The penalty was imposed at the Berbice Assizes after a probation report and a plea in mitigation were presented to the court. The virtual complainant, Renita Singh, had recalled that she was in a hammock watching television whilst breastfeeding her three months old baby when she was attacked, on June 24, 2008, at Number 73 Village, Corentyne. In tears, she recounted that Gopaul demanded gold and money and took her to the bedroom. Her hands were tied behind her back with her baby’s napkin and she was ordered to lie on the bed. After her underwear had been removed, she saw it was the accused whom she knew for ten years.

Armed robber fleeces Campbellville Post Office after daring daylight heist
STAFFERS of the Campbellville Post Office in Georgetown had the scare of their lives when a lone gunman kicked his way into the inner office and relieved the post office of $1.3M in cash, vouchers and other monies, shortly after the Guyana Police Force had escorted a canister with cash and had lodged same in the storage area. Public Relations Officer/Assistant to the Postmaster-General, Telesha Whyte, said a man armed with a handgun made his way into the post office and kicked in a door that leads to the tellers and the office. Whyte added that the bandit pounced on and robbed the place in a timely, well-orchestrated manner as if he had been observing the movements.
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Friday 13
$500M to be spent to improve D&I work
OF the $1B that the 2014 annual budget provided for implementing the ‘Clean-up Guyana’ programme, $500M will be spent in Georgetown to improve drainage and infrastructural work like the wharves, sluices and kokers. As for the other half of the money, Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon said the coastal administrative regions were identified as the beneficiaries and the emphasis was also placed on drainage. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development will expend the sum of money.

New Guyana School student tops NGSA exams this year
JORREL De Santos of New Guyana School, who secured a total of 533 marks out of the maximum 540, has emerged as the top 2014 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) candidate. De Santos was followed by Aliah Mohamed from School of the Nations, who gained 531 marks and ranked second while Ravi Singh from Westfield Prep took the third spot with 530 and the fourth placed was Isaac Mallampati, also from New Guyana School whose score was 527. Analise Samaroo, of School of the Nations, who achieved 525 marks, came fifth.

‘WICB cannot feel they’re it and call any shots’
AS far as regional cricket is concerned, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) “cannot feel that they’re it and call any shots. Our argument continues to be that we gotta sit at this table. This regional cricket is not WICB table, they have a role no doubt about it, a role that has evolved over time but this administration, and I think the region, has to be careful.” Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon made those observations. Noting that the WICB believes it is an “untouchable” body, Luncheon said he is certain that within a few weeks when the CARICOM heads meet, this will again be a subject matter on the agenda, “something that has to be dealt with again in-camera because I am pretty certain President Ramotar is going to let loose on this band of WICBers.”

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Saturday 14
Seven-year old pinned to a fence by speeding car succumbs
Seven-year old Joseph Quallis of 205 Middle Road La Penitence, who was rammed and pinned against a concrete and steel fence by a speeding car, died while under emergency medical care at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The child, who was badly disfigured and whose organs were badly damaged, was said to have been clinically brain dead and was placed on a ventilator on arrival at the hospital. The bereaved father, Andre Quallis said his son Joseph, who was a pupil of St. Pius Primary School, had just returned home from school, changed his clothes, and set out for a nearby shop to buy pholourie.

Body of missing Lusignan teen found in Parika backdam
THE worst fears of the mother, father and other relatives and friends of 17-year old, Dhanraj Latchman were confirmed after his discoloured body was discovered in slush, miles down the Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo. The Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the two suspects who are cousins have confessed that they strangled the young man to death on Wednesday night and dumped him. The two suspects have since escorted investigators to the area where they dumped the teen’s body after murdering him.

Policeman dies after tour of duty at hinterland stations
THIRTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD, Kensley Leitch of Lot 570 Mocha Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara died at the Georgetown Public Hospital while being hospitalised for dengue fever and malaria; and his relatives have been plunged into deep shock. Leitch, late member of the Guyana Police Force for the past 15 years, had returned home two weeks ago from an interior location where he had been stationed, and had been complaining of a ‘horrible’ headache. He had been stationed at several areas in the hinterland, and his hospitalisation had lasted four days prior to his demise. The late Kensley Leitch is survived by a 10-year-old daughter and by siblings and scores of relatives.