Businessman charged with vigilante killing of Campbellville youth

A 59-year-old East Bank Demerara businessman was on Monday charged with the murder of 26-year-old Seon Clarke of Campbellville, Georgetown, which occurred on August 20, 2016, at Pearl, East Bank Demerara.

Moses Singh appeared before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan for the capital offence and was not required to plea to the charge.

Clarke was shot and killed and his friend was beaten by residents at Pearl after the proprietor of a shop noticed two men acting suspiciously around his business.

Defense Attorney Latchmi Rahamat told the court that her client is sickly and had undergone surgery in the United States of America. The businessman was remanded until May 17.

The police had said in a statement that Clarke and his friend visited a grocery store and were allegedly behaving in a suspicious manner, prompting the owner of the business to run out to the road and raise an alarm. A police officer, who was passing at the time, responded to the alert and the men escaped into the surrounding bushes, it added.

During a search, police said, two loud explosions were heard but the two men remained elusive and were not found until later that night on the Pearl Public Road, by members of the community. The statement said that Clarke was shot by a resident and his friend was beaten before they were handed over to the police.

The injured men were rushed to the Diamond Public Hospital, where Clarke was pronounced dead on arrival and his friend was treated for minor injuries and then taken into police custody.