Mark Ray yesterday walked out of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts a free man after he was acquitted in the theft of nearly $3M in items.
It was alleged that between January 13 and February 22, 2015 at Georgetown, Ray stole a quantity of items, including a quantity of zinc sheets, electrical cables, and other valuables amounting to a total value of $2,917,000.
The court heard that on January 13th, this year, a security guard stationed at the former Guyana National Cooperative Bank (GNCB) bank heard strange noises coming from the building while he was attending to someone. However, after making spot checks, he discovered items missing and the entrance door to the building opened.
On January 27th, after receiving a call, the security guard received information from someone that operates a stall nearby that someone was in the building.
As a result, he went to the building where he discovered that more items were missing and he subsequently reported the theft to the police.
Ray was later arrested and charged with the crime.
At yesterday’s hearing, magistrate Ann McLennan, after considering all the evidence led by the prosecution, found Ray not guilty of the offence and dismissed the matter. The magistrate noted that Ray had denied the allegation and that the rank who investigated the matter never appeared in court to testify. She also noted that the only identification of the defendant was that from the dock.
As a result, the magistrate concluded that the prosecution failed to prove all the elements of the offence.
Ray smiled and thanked the court after the decision was given and subsequently walked out as a free man.
