GDF rank slapped with armed robbery charges

A 21-year-old Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lance Corporal appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, charged with a series of armed robberies committed in Georgetown. He was also slapped with two gun-related charges.

Jamal Hazel of ‘A’ Field Sophia pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Particulars of the first charge alleged that while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, he robbed Andrea Herdessy of a $210,000 cellphone along with $400,000 cash on January 11, 2018, at Pere Street, Kitty, Georgetown.

It is further alleged that he and others robbed Herdessy of $4.6M cash, the property of Cerilda DeJesus.

He is also accused of robbing Boodram Hemraj of a weeding machine valued at $100,000 on January 10, 2018, at North Road.

Additionally, the soldier was charged with being in possession of a .38 pistol along with 9 matching rounds when he is not a licensed firearm holder on January 13, 2018, at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown.

Police Prosecutor, Arwin Moore told the court that in relation to the offence committed on January 11, Herdessy had just collected the $4.6M from a mining company in Alberttown in favour of DeJesus.

However, when the woman approached her Kitty home, she was ambushed by the accused, who pointed a handgun at her and demanded that she hand over the valuables.

As it relates to the armed robbery in North Road, the court heard that the victim was weeding when armed gunmen rode on a motorcycle and relieved him of the weeding machine.

Meanwhile, in defence of his client, Attorney George Thomas, said that Hazel was at Camp Stephenson, Timehri when most of the robberies occurred.

Prosecutor Moore objected to bail and told the court that Hazel was placed before the Providence Magistrate’s Court on similar charges. As such, he was remanded to prison until January 30, 2018.