The mentally ill young man who allegedly set fire to the Georgetown Public Hospital Observation Ward, was remanded to prison yesterday when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Leonard Nelson

Twenty-year-old Leonard Nelson of Z 23106 Tucville, was charged yesterday with arson, robbery and unlawfully and maliciously assaulting and wounding several individuals.

The prosecution stated that on August 13 at around 03:45 hours, as Nelson was being taken into the ward for his routine checkup he escaped from the attendants, lit a match on his way out of the ward  and threw it onto a few articles which were immediately set ablaze. Nelson is also accused of snatching a gold chain worth $25,000 from Sharon Harry while he was escaping.
He also was alleged to have assaulted Carl Santiago and Clive Knights and unlawfully and maliciously assaulted and wounded Glendon Farley. The accused was afterwards caught and arrested where the gold chain and a box of matches allegedly used to start the fire were found in his possession. Dr Harry carried out an examination of the accused and found he was mentally fit on the day in question.

Attorney-at-law Lesley Sobers stated that his client, Nelson, was not fit to plead because of his mental disposition and that he should be acquitted of the charges and taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation. He afterwards applied for bail.

However, Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry who presided over the case, after questioning Nelson, deemed him fit to plead since he knew who he was, where he lived and his mother’s name and occupation.

Subsequently, Nelson pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The application for bail was refused and the accused was remanded. He was ordered to appear back in Court 1 on September 11.