GDF Coast Guards committed to stand trial

Murder accused: Deon Greenidge

Murder accused: Delon Gordon

Murder accused: Sherwyn Hart

The three ex-Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guardsmen charged with the murder of Bartica gold dealer, Dweive Kant Ramdass, were yesterday committed to stand trial in the High Court.
The trio, Sherwyn Hart, 27, of Lot 123 Block ‘C’ Eccles, East Bank Demerara; Delon Gordon, 22, of Lot 108 ‘C’ Field, Sophia; and Deon Greenidge, 21, of Lot 166 Middle Road, La Penitence; are accused of killing Ramdass between August 20 and August 22, 2009, at Caiman Hole, East Bank Essequibo.
The accused were committed yesterday at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Nyasha Williams-Hatmin.
During the hearing the Magistrate overruled a no-case submission by the defence team, who also put forward that the confession statements which were admitted into evidence were not given voluntarily.
Attorney Khemraj Ramjattan, who was assigned to the matter as special prosecutor, led a total of 14 witnesses to give evidence. The witnesses included persons who saw when the Coast Guard ranks took Ramdass out of the boat, and when they returned to the boat without him, but with a canister that he was carrying.

Murdered: Dweive Kant Ramdass

The court found that the evidence led during the Preliminary Inquiry was sufficient for the trio to stand trial in the High Court. The evidence was mostly circumstantial and compounded by the trio’s confession statement which was deemed admissible.
Shawn Ageday, 22, Hart’s brother; Yvonne Beckles, 39, who is related to Greenidge; and Viola Adolphus, 32, who is Gordon’s sister, were also charged for being accessories, as it is alleged that they aided the servicemen in stealing $17M from Dweive Kant Ramdass.