Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:02 by GxMedia
A Lieutenant and a Lance Corporal of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were Wednesday charged with armed robbery in Cuyuni that they allegedly committed three months ago.
Lieutenant Madainey Humphrey,25, of Tuschen Housing Scheme and Lance Corporal Felix Frank,28, Melanie Damishana were accused of robbing Kelly Williams of three penny weights of raw gold valued GUY$36,000 while being armed with one AK-47 rifle. The gold was the property of Almendo Da Silva.
The prosecution did not object to bail.
Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry granted each of them GUY$300,000 bail and asked them to lodge their passports. They were ordered to appear in the Bartica Magistrates’ Court on April 25.
Humphrey was whisked away in a police van to the Georgetown Prison, while Frank was released on bail having satisfied the requirements.
Less than one hour before the duo appeared in court, the GDF said in a statement that Lieutenant Humphrey had been charged with breaching the Force’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and so court martial proceedings against him were commenced. The court martial has been adjourned so that he could have been handed over to the police.
Lance Corporal Frank was also charged by the GDF for breaches to its SOPs. He was trialled by Appropriate Superior Authority Orders in accordance with the Force’s regulations.
They were escorted to the GPF by members of the GDF Military Police, the army said.
The GDF has already said that four soldiers have had their ranks reduced because there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations against them. The Corporal has been reduced to Lance Corporal and the Lance Corporal to a Private, and the Private served 42 days detention.