Security guard denied bail over theft of gun, ammo

Toolsie Persaud security guard Julian Winter returned to court yesterday charged with stealing a gun and ammunition from his work place.

Winter was previously charged on August 2 for unlawful possession of the .32 Taurus revolver and the seven matching rounds of ammunition, for which he was remanded to prison. The charge read at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday alleges that Winter, 44, of Sussex and Lombard streets, on July 31, stole the revolver and ammunitions, which were valued at $106,000 in total. The weapon and ammunition belonged to Toolsie Persaud Limited.
He pleaded not guilty to the new charge.

According to prosecutor Ramsahoye Rambajue, on July 31, Winter was set to work from 7pm on July 31 to 7am on August 1. While he was at work, he allegedly went into the cupboard where the firearms are kept and retrieved the gun and ammunition, although he was not assigned a weapon because he did not have a firearm licence.

Rambajue added that later on, during the course of the night, Winter was at a shop drinking and placed the gun on a table, which caught the attention of a policeman. The policeman subsequently approached him and questioned whether he was licensed to carry the weapon and he said no. He was then informed of the offence, arrested and charged.

Rambajue objected to bail based on the grounds that if granted bail, Winter might not return to court. He also noted that he has pending matters in court.

As a result, Magistrate Fabayo Azore denied him bail and he was remanded to prison. The next hearing was set for September 9, while the return date for the hearing on the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition is September 10.