‘Fake’ GPL employee charged

A 35-year-old man accused of posing as a Guyana Power & Light (GPL) employee and defrauding a woman of over $150,000 was on Friday sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

Edward Dowridge appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and pleaded guilty to the charge of obtaining money by false pretence.

The court heard that on August 22, 2017, at Main Street, Georgetown with intent to defraud, he obtained the sum of $157,000 from Yogeeta Dookie by falsely pretending that he was in a position to collect the money on behalf of the GPL.

According to police prosecutor, Richard Harris on the day in question, the defendant went to the woman’s home posing as a GPL employee with his photo on a badge. Dowridge then told Dookie that he came to remove some wires because she owes GPL.

“Yuh could give me a small something and I gone done the matter,” Dowridge reportedly told the woman.

Dookie agreed and gave the man $30,000 and he left his cell number to collect the rest of the money. Dookie later visited GPL’s main branch on Water Street, Georgetown where she met Dowridge and gave him an additional $157,000.