Alleged Brickdam fire suspect remanded to prison
Alleged arsonist,
Clarence Greene
Alleged arsonist, Clarence Greene

ALLEGED arsonist, Clarence Greene was, on Thursday, remanded to prison for the devastating fire at the Brickdam Police Station, which destroyed over 80 per cent of the buildings in the compound that houses the force’s Regional Police Division Four ‘A’ as well as the office of the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Commander.

Greene, called “Molly”, of Charlestown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
He was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that on October 2, 2021, he unlawfully and maliciously set fire to a building belonging to the State, that is the Brickdam Police Station.

It is further alleged that on the same day in question, at Water Street, while being armed with a gun, he robbed market vendor, Chitrannie Ramkissoon of a mobile phone valued at $160,000. He was not required to plead to the charge.

Police Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Shellon Daniels, made an application for the charges to remain indictable. The prosecutor objected to Greene being released on bail, citing the seriousness of the charges, and the loss of the state’s property.
Greene’s attorney, Kiswana Jeffords, asked the court to release her client on reasonable bail since he is the sole breadwinner for his family and his reputed wife is pregnant.

Jeffords told the court that her client is innocent and was threatened by the police to do a video interview to “confess.”
The Chief Magistrate opted to remand Greene to prison on the grounds of the seriousness of the offence.

According to reports, on Saturday, October 2, Green was arrested by police for armed robbery and was being held in custody at the Brickdam Police Station. It is alleged that while in custody, Greene “grew frustrated” after several hours of detention and decided to set fire to the building.
During the midday hours of Saturday, the fire ripped through the Brickdam station.

The devastating fire, which reportedly started in the eastern section of the compound at about 11:06 hours, destroyed more than 80 per cent of the station, including the Property Room, Inquiries Office, Traffic Department, and the Officers’ Mess Hall.

Guns and ammunition were safely removed from the buildings before the fire spread. The police barrack at the western section of the Brickdam compound remain standing after the blaze, as well as the “clay brick” Impact Base building, and the section which houses detainees.
Greene was one of 16 persons in custody at the time of the fire. The detainees as well as the ranks on duty at the time were all safely evacuated from the compound. There were no reports of serious injury or loss of life.

In an alleged video confession, while in the custody of the Guyana Police Force, it is claimed that Green explained his motive for starting the fire.

It is further alleged that two men, who were also detained with Greene at the time of the incident, informed police that the accused took a piece of sponge, wrapped a piece of wire around it, set it on fire, and pushed the burning materials through a ventilation hole in the cell that led into a section of the building that housed documents.
The case is adjourned until October 28, 2021.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.