-gets three-year sentence
A former Berbice policeman was yesterday sentenced to a total nine years in prison after he was found guilty on charges of simple larceny, assault with intent to rob, and demanding money with menace.
Constable 19181 Kelvin Chase, 27, was found guilty of the offences last Friday and Magistrate Omeyena Hamilton imposed the sentence yesterday. Chase had been remanded to the New Amsterdam Prison over the weekend, pending sentencing.
Chase, previously of Blue Berry Hill, Wismar, Linden, and also of Lot 60 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, pleaded with the Magistrate to reduce the sentence, since the mother of his child is unemployed. “Your Worship, I begging you, be lenient with me. Me child mother ain’t working. I got bills to pay. Please, Your Worship, I begging you to reduce the sentence,” he said.
But the magistrate informed him that he will serve three years on each count, which will run concurrently.
Corporal Roberto Figueira, presenting the prosecution’s case, said that on September 19, 2008, Chase, then attached to Central Police Station, was nabbed by his colleagues as he attempted to extort money from an overseas-based Guyanese business couple.
Chase, then assigned to the Enquiries Office at the New Amsterdam Station, stole a .38 revolver and six live rounds of ammunition. He later proceeded to the Canefield Settlement premises of Nadia Jacobs and demanded $600,000 from her.
It was argued that Chase planted counterfeit notes on the premises of the woman’s bar, dance club and fashion centre and sought the sum to settle the deal. Her husband, Ron, agreed to a deal but contacted a senior police officer who organised surveillance and later a sting operation.
Some men, posing as patrons, had gone to Jacobs’ club and exchanged US notes for local currency. However, the known individuals returned later and stated that the money consisted of counterfeit notes.
The businessman was then ordered to pay $650,000 as “hush money”. After alerting the senior officer, Jacobs told his blackmailers that he had acquired $600,000, and the remainder would be paid at a later date.
The businessman reported that the men had approached him and had threatened to kidnap his family members if the money was not paid within a specific time frame.
He was asked to take the sum to Georgetown, then Rosignol, but he opted for the men to send a representative to his business premises at Rose Hall East Canje.
On the day of the hand off, Jacobs received a telephone call informing him that someone would be collecting the money and not long after Chase arrived and proceeded straight into the premises and drew a firearm, which was wrapped in newspaper. The court was told that Nadia Jacobs was forcefully taken by Chase to the back of the premises, but an alert employee, armed with a baseball bat, disarmed him.
Chase was given a yellow envelope containing shredded paper which he thought was cash.
After he was arrested, Chase had claimed he was to be paid $200,000 to get the job done. He was subsequently charged departmentally with bringing discredit to the force and was dismissed.
