THREE men have been committed to stand trial in the High Court for the grenade attack on Kaieteur News, Saffon Street, Georgetown after Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan determined that a prima facie case was made out against them.

One of the accused men attempted to escape Thursday during the hearing. The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) commenced last September with a total of 23 witnesses called to testify, while there was a voir dire (trial within a trial) to determine the admissibility of the statements given to police by the accused.

The men – Leroy Williams, 25, of Durban Backlands, Georgetown; Janeil Howard, 20, of 322 Section ‘C’ Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara; and Alfie Garraway, 36, of Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown are accused of conspiring together with other persons to cause an explosion by way of grenade, likely to endanger lives and cause damage to property on June 4, 2016 at 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown.

During the ruling of the Magistrate, Williams slipped off his right side handcuff and was toying with the other side for his escape; however a police officer in the court quickly fixed it tighter.

Williams is no stranger for such tactics and he tried to escape previously during the PI, where he had assaulted a Reporter and damaged the windows of a police vehicle.

Williams is represented by Attorney Neil Bollers; Attorney Stanley Moore represents Garraway and Howard remains unrepresented. The Chief Magistrate overruled the no case submissions made by the defense lawyers and placed weight on the evidence provided by prosecutor, Inspector Neville Jeffers.

According to reports, on the day in question, a security staffer heard an unusual sound coming from near a  Toyota Lexus Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) – PRR 8398 – which belongs to Glenn Lall, Publisher of Kaieteur News.

The SUV was parked on the western side of newspaper’s Lot 24 Saffon Street, Georgetown office.

On checking the front of the vehicle, the staffer spotted a grenade lying near one of the front tyres. Video footage from the company’s CCTV cameras showed a grey-coloured vehicle, slowing down as it approached Lall’s vehicle. The driver accelerated after the explosive device was thrown.