TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD Carl Mangal, a stevedore of Charlestown, Georgetown and a father of two; Joel Gopaul, known as Joel Grant, of Lot 27 Edinburgh, Village, East Bank Berbice (EBB), who had previously been charged for wounding and had served a 24-month sentence; Gregory Anthony Simmons, called ‘G’ of Curtis Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, who had served three years for trafficking in narcotics; and 41-year-old Kurt Grant, single and of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who had been sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, appeared on Thursday before New Amsterdam Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs Marcus and were not required to plead to two joint charges of robbery under arms, along with break and enter and larceny.They were refused bail and are expected to return to court on February 16.

Particulars of the charges, sworn to by Detective Constable Quincy Calder, stated that (a): On January 27, at Brothers Village, EBB, they broke into the dwelling house of Poorandai Daniels and stole therefrom an Apex 32” flat screen television set, two laptop computers, a skate board, a video adapter, a portable camera, a water pump and a Rolex wristwatch, all to the total value of $1,009,000, property of the said Poorandai Daniels.

In the second charge, the police contend that on Sunday January 25 last, at Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice, while being armed with offensive weapons, to wit cutlasses and being in company of each other, the men robbed Chinese Restaurateur Tia Hong Fen of a cellular phone and cash totalling $340,000.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Sheriff objected to the men being granted bail on ground that the stolen items were found in the said car in which the defendants were occupants.

He said the virtual complainant actually saw the accused persons parked in front of her yard about twenty minutes prior to her discovering items missing from her home.

However, Carl Mangal told the court that he knew nothing about the robbery. “We ain’t tek the stuff the officer talk about! We see a junkie in the corner of the road with these things, but I not know about the robbery, and I asking for bail!”

Defendant Joel Gopaul, alias Joel Grant, said his name is ‘Grannum’ and that “these guys come up to me. He pass an Indian junkie with these things. I went on an identification parade and I was not picked out at all. I am requesting bail!”

Questioned by the magistrate as to whether he had previously been charged, the defendant replied, “Me and Adrian Bishop was charged.”

Defendant Gregory Anthony Simmons said whilst he was at Whim (Police Station): “We were placed on an identification parade for a robbery in relation to a Chinese man. No Rasta man went on the robbery; it was three bald head. When the identification parade finish, we went to the lockups and the officer say we gon get a break-and-enter-and-larceny charge.”

Defendant Kurt Grant said he had driven to Berbice to do a drop-off. “The men saw a man with something and he told us to put it in the trunk. After doing so, the police approach us. I got two little children at home and I am the sole bread winner. I don’t know nothing about this! I have been on the identification parade and I was not picked out!”

Reports are that on January 27, Poorandai Daniels, a school vendor of Brothers Village, EBB, had left her home shortly after 07:00 hrs to ply her trade at the learning institution. She had secured her home and had left several electrical appliances intact, but on her return, had observed that her home had been broken into and several items had gone missing.

As a result, she rushed to the Sisters Police Station to lodge a report; and it was whilst she was at the station that she learnt that the police had intercepted a car in which the defendants were the occupants and in which several items were found in the trunk of the vehicle.

On the day of the incident, residents along the East Bank Berbice corridor had observed a yellow Toyota 212 motor car, HC 1288, with the Cyril Taxi logo, being driven within their community; and it was the very car which had driven off with the bandits who had robbed the Chinese restaurateur Tai Hong Fen on Sunday night.

They also observed that the number plate had been changed from HC 214.
They contacted the police, who subsequently intercepted the vehicle as it was about to exit Edinburgh Village, which lies along the lone access road that serves the East Bank Berbice corridor.

RESTAURANT ROBBERY
On Sunday night January 25, Chinese Restaurateur Tai Hong Fen was beaten and robbed by armed bandits as he was about to close his business at Lot 23 Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice shortly after 22:00 hrs.

The 49-year-old Tai Hong Fen, recalling the incident in a deep Cantonese accent, said it was about 22:00 hrs when he decided to close the family-run Four Sea restaurant, although a few customers were still drinking beverages.

“The customers left, and I was about to close the door when one of the bandits went into the business and asked to purchase a hundred dollars’ worth of cigarettes. He presented a thousand-dollar bill, and seconds later, two other identifiable males with cutlasses forced their way into the shop.”

Visibly shaken, Fen said: “I tried to run to the kitchen; and in doing so, I failed to close the inner door dividing the restaurant and the kitchen. One (of the men) viced me while another, both sporting dreadlocks, cuffed me in my eye and beat me; and they asked, “Whey the money deh!”

“They break the drawers and took out cash and an Alcatel cellular phone valued $40,000.”