Berbice crime spree

From left to right are Akeem Edwards, Samuel Forde, Jason Barker and Kester Meyers leaving the Albion Court yesterday.
From left to right are Akeem Edwards, Samuel Forde, Jason Barker and Kester Meyers leaving the Albion Court yesterday.

From left to right are Akeem Edwards, Samuel Forde, Jason Barker and Kester Meyers leaving the Albion Court yesterday.Magistrate Chandra Sohan yesterday sentenced four men to a total of 30 years imprisonment for three counts of robbery under arms, three counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm.

The men, Jason Barker, 20; Kesley Meyers, 20 and Samuel Forde, 24 all of Tucber Park and Akeem Edwards, 22 of Sheet Anchor, Canje admitted to the offences and pleaded with the magistrate at the Albion court to be lenient.

They were sentenced to five years for each offence. Two of the charges would run consecutively while the others would run concurrently, giving them a total of 10 years each in jail. But Barker would be spending an additional five years for a separate robbery.

Police Chief Prosecutor, ‘B’ Division, Inspector Fazil Karimbaksh asked that the men be given severe penalties on the grounds of the serious nature of the offences.

Reports are that on Saturday, May 31 at Strand, New Amsterdam, they robbed Samuel `Pumpkin’ Mohabir of $400,000, TT$400, US$20 and two gold bands valued $190,000. They were also charged with attempting to murder Mohabir and for having in their possession a .38 special revolver, five matching rounds and a spend shell.

According to the facts, Mohabir, a Cambio dealer of Blairmont, West Berbice who plies his trade in front of the New Amsterdam market was walking along Strand when the men who were on a bicycle attacked him with a gun and demanded the articles.

He resisted at first but eventually handed over the items after the men overpowered him by hitting him in his head several times with the gun-butt.

Shortly after the incident police arrested them and conducted a search at the home of Meyers where the gun and ammo were found hidden in a toque in the yard. The jewellery and $81,000 and TT$400 were recovered.

The four were also charged with attempting to rob and murder Chandradat Parag on May 19 at Sheet Anchor. According to the facts, the victim had just withdrawn the cash from a bank in NA and was returning home when the men trailed him on a motorcycle.

They pointed a gun at him and demanded the cash but Parag put up a struggle and was shot in the process. The defendants escaped [without the cash] while the victim was rushed to the NA Hospital where he was admitted.

On February 19, the men also robbed and attempted to murder Aaron Mohamed of Aaron and Son Jewellery Establishment at Main & Pope Streets, NA of a quantity of gold jewellery valued $1.7 M.
Mohamed was in the store when the men barged in, closing the door behind them, gun-butted him in his head several times and escaped with the jewellery.

And charges were further instituted against Barker, who while being in company of others, robbed Ishwarnauth Bisram of Bisram’s [Poultry] enterprise at Belvedere, Corentyne of a wallet worth $400 that contained $720,000.

The court heard that Bisram was returning home after transacting business and as he was about to enter the yard with his vehicle, Barker and his accomplices pounced on him, hitting him and grabbing the cash.

Barker, a former soldier, told the magistrate that he had been charged in the past with stealing an AK-47 from the army.

Asked what they had to say before being sentenced, the men said they were sorry for what happened and begged the magistrate to give them a light sentence. Forde, Meyers and Barker also promised not to be involved with “bad company anymore.”

Magistrate Sohan questioned who the “bad company” was that they were referring to and they all said it was Edwards since the gun belonged to him. They also accused him of “planning all the robberies.”
The magistrate responded that is regrettable that they had to be in court but they were old enough to make their own decisions. He told them that they allowed themselves to be drawn into the influence.