THE remaining four men who were allegedly implicated in the failed armed robbery committed on Republic Bank’s Water Street Branch in July this year, were on Monday released on $500,000 bail each.

Police Constable, Anfernee Blackman, 21, of Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown; former Republic Bank employee, Shawn Grimmond of Pike Street, Kitty; Rural Constable Gladston George, 24, of Princes Street, Lodge, Georgetown; and Keron Saunders, 24, of Burnham Boulevard, Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD), who are jointly charged for the offence, have denied the allegation.
City Magistrate, Leron Daly, before whom the matter was called up for a continuation of trial, released the men on bail and set November 6, as the next call-up date..
Another former Republic Bank employee, Jamal Haynes, 24, of 4 Norton Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown, who was also implicated with the four men, had on July 14 last when the matter was first called up before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, pleaded guilty to the charge and was jailed for six years.

Both Grimmond and Haynes were employees of Republic Bank at the time of the attempted robbery while George and Blackman were constables attached to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) who reportedly aided in the robbery attempt by providing the firearms that were used. In his bid to escape, Haynes was shot to his legs.
It was reported that on the morning of July 4, three armed men entered Republic Bank’s Water Street Branch before it was opened to the public.

Haynes and his gang members, including deceased Elton Wray, had reportedly planned on getting their hands on the night’s deposits, since it was a three-day weekend and companies would have deposited millions of dollars in cash into the bank.
Wray, a 25-year-old, China-trained agronomist, who was at the time employed at the National Agriculture Research Extension Institute (NAREI), was shot in the chest during the robbery. He succumbed to his injuries the same day while receiving medical attention.