Dequan King, called “Titus”, was on Monday sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for his role in the 2021 multi-million dollar gold heist at Wallison Enterprise at Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
King of ‘D’ Field, Sophia, Georgetown was sentenced by City Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.
Last month, King admitted that on August 5, 2021, while, being armed with guns and in the company of others, he robbed Wallison Enterprise of $38 million in local currency and $20 million worth of raw gold, the property of Francis Santos Lumes.
He also admitted to committing armed robbery against three persons: Fernanda Carmichael of a cell phone worth $350,000; Francis Santos Lumes of gold jewellery and cash amounting to $224,000; and William Batista DaSilva of a $60,000 cell phone.
During the sentencing hearing on Monday, the court heard the King did not have any positive role model in his life since he was abandoned by his parents and grandmother.
Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus, in her sentencing remarks, said she considered the robbery as premeditated along with the value of the stolen articles that were stolen.
However, she also placed weight on the fact that King pleaded guilty and his need for rehabilitation
King was sentenced to serve two and a half years on each of the four counts. However, the sentencing will run concurrently, and King will only serve two and a half years behind bars.
In August 2021, former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant Keyon King alongside two of the company’s security officers Delroy Jackson called “Bug” and Peon Lee called “Nino Brown” were charged with the robbery.
King pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to serve three years imprisonment. Jackson and Lee pleaded not guilty to the charges and were later released on $450,000 bail.
Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, had told reporters that the plan was allegedly hatched by Lee, who, at the time, was the company’s Chief of Security.
The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras. Police made a breakthrough in this investigation following the discovery of a total of $18M which was found buried in Keyon King’s backyard.
In early October, King was nabbed by the authorities in Suriname and deported to Guyana.
King previously told the court that he was not involved in the robbery, but only transported the men since they were passengers in his taxi.
According to King, he became fearful for his life and fled to Suriname after a wanted bulletin was issued for his arrest.
However, while in Suriname, King said he was involved in a “crime” and was arrested. Due to his arrest, local authorities were notified, and King was extradited back to Guyana.
