A camera and other equipment belonging to missing British teenager Dominic Bernard was found yesterday not far from where a body, believed to be his, was unearthed.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed yesterday that the camera, a monitor, tripod and other components were found buried some two dams away from where the body was discovered in a shallow grave on Friday.
Stabroek News was told that the person who led the detectives to the spot where the camera and other equipment was buried is a friend of the prime suspect, Aaron Hing, who lived three houses away from him. Hing’s friend was arrested on Saturday night by police and gave them a statement. He related that on the day that the suspected body of Bernard was found, Hing called him and asked that he remove the items from the spot where he [Hing] had buried them.
Both Hing and Staymon George are reported to have confessed on Saturday during intense questioning by police to luring Bernard to his death at Nurney, which is the village next to their home village of Kildonan. The men told investigators a harrowing story, which detailed a well thought-out plan that was to end in murder.
Two days before Bernard’s arrival in Guyana in October last year, the men rented a white Raum car that they used to travel to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri where they picked up Bernard. After going to a restaurant at Sheriff Street in Georgetown, where they ate and drank, they then travelled to Kildonan. On arrival there, they told Bernard that they wanted to show him something in the backlands and the teen agreed to accompany them. The area where they ventured was very dark and bushy and they had to use light from a cell phone to see where they were going.
This newspaper was told that upon arrival at a certain spot, the teen was told that what he was to be shown was in the ground and that they had to dig to get to it. He was asked if he could assist in the digging and he agreed.
There was a shovel nearby but as soon as he bent to start digging a piece of wood was used to hit him on the head. A hammer was then used to bludgeon him to death before he was thrown into the shallow grave
DNA tests have to be conducted to verify that the decomposing body is that of Bernard.
Five persons remain in police custody including Hing, George, the woman who tried to help George to leave the country, Hing’s friend, and another.
