An 18-year-old who was arrested at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) after allegedly causing a commotion there, including breaking window panes at the police outpost, was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Gunesh Persaud of Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charges of disorderly behaviour, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and malicious damage to property when acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson read them to him.
The teen denied that on July 24, at the GPHC, he behaved disorderly, assaulted Constable Warren Jackson, resisted arrest and unlawfully and maliciously damaged three louvre panes valued $600, the property of the GPH.
Persaud stated that he has no recollection of what transpired on Saturday since “I de drunk.”
His mother, who was present in court, said that her son had left her home to go to a wedding.
She said she was informed that the wife of the driver of the car, which her son was using to travel, was hospitalised at the GPH so the driver went there with Persaud to visit her but that somehow caused a commotion.
However, Prosecutor Stephen Telford stated that on the day in question around 23:00 hrs Constable Jackson observed Persaud with a steel pipe in his hand chasing another man.
He said Jackson confronted Persaud and took the pipe away from him. He said Persaud then started to use a series of expletives and told the officer, who had informed him that he was being arrested for his disorderly behaviour, that he wasn’t going anywhere.
He said that the constable noted Persaud’s drunken state and he solicited the help of several bystanders to apprehend him; he was taken to the police outpost at the hospital.
He said Persaud continued his raving and at one point smashed the louvre window with his fist.
He was then taken to the Brickdam lockups where he was charged.
The prosecutor objected to Persaud’s bail application, when he suggested it, and requested that the magistrate take note of the sequence of events that occurred as a result of Persaud’s drunken state.
He said Persaud should thank the constable for intervening since he could have inflicted grievous bodily harm on the man he was chasing and thus be charged with something more serious.
The magistrate refused bail for Persaud and ordered that the cases be transferred to Court Ten for August 6.
