–Hearing resumes tomorrow

THE Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the grenade attack on the local daily, the Kaieteur News, continued on Monday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan with a new witness taking to the stand.

Janeil Howard, 20, of 322 Section ‘C’ Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara; Alfie Garraway, 36, of Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown; and Leroy Williams, 25, of 11 D’Urban Backlands are accused of conspiring with other persons to cause an explosion, by way of a grenade, likely to endanger lives and cause damage to property.

Garraway is currently out on $300,000 High Court bail, while the other two accused remain on remand.

Police Prosecution, Inspector Neville Jeffers called to the stand Detective Corporal Junior Blair, who is attached to the Forensic Video and Analysis Unit at the Criminal Investigation Unit at Eve Leary.
Having made copies of video footage from six of the company’s CCTV cameras, Corporal Blair presented them before the court, along with his analysis report.

He is expected to be cross-examined on the next hearing.

Jeffers, however, recalled Somal Sharma, Network Administrator at Kaieteur News, and Police Sergeant Herbert Henry, the Subordinate Officer in-charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Ruimveldt Police Station, to the stand. They were called upon earlier to testify. The matter was adjourned to tomorrow. According to reports, on the day in question, a security staffer heard an unusual sound coming from near the publisher’s vehicle, PRR 8398, which was parked on the western side of Saffon Street.

On checking the front of the vehicle, the staffer spotted a grenade lying near one of the front tyres.