A group of men accused of committing acts of terrorism were on Monday arraigned before the courts. The said charges were in relation to last year’s Mon Repos market unrest.
The accused included Carlos Kingston, Jullian Peters, Tony MacKinnon, Terrence Adolphus Nedd, Keon Glasgow, Antony English, Mark Hercules, Dave Berkshire and Phillip Burke. They were arraigned before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court.
Magistrate George granted the men their pre-trial liberty at a cost of $300,000 each. As a condition for bail, the men were ordered to lodge their passports and any other travel document. Conditions also stipulate that they report to the Cove and John Police Station on the 14th of each month until the conclusion of their preliminary inquiry.
It is alleged that on June 28, 2022, between Golden Grove and Mon Repos, the accused men, in cahoot with others, with the intent to cause mayhem, blocked the public road by burning several items and causing damage to the public road. The men were not required to plead to the indictable charge.
Burke was represented by attorney Eusi Anderson, while the others were represented by attorneys Dexter Todd and Dexter Smartt. The matter will be called again on February 28 for reports.
The unrest was prompted by an inaccurate article that was published by the Guyana Daily News about the release of a cop who is accused of fatally shooting a civilian, Quindon Bacchus during an alleged sting operation.
The Guyana Police Force subsequently confirmed that the cop was still in custody. The Guyana Press Association (GPA) also issued a statement clarifying that the media outfit is not a “bona fide” member of the local press corp. The entity’s Editor-in-Chief, Ronald Singh, was later given the boot.
Weeks after the attack, those who received substantial damage to their properties during the unrest at Mon Repos market were given compensation to rebuild by the Government of Guyana.
