Latest update February 8th, 2025 6:23 PM
Aug 29, 2021 News
The Court Journal…
By Renay Sambach
Kaieteur News – Imagine being locked away in a small room with a filthy mattress to lie on. In that very room, imagine having just a small container in a corner as your makeshift toilet. Imagine being separated for months, perhaps years, from your loved ones.
As awful as this may seem, there are many who make choices that send them, time and again back into a state of incarceration.
Repeat offenders are quite common at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. From being at the court, certain defendants become known to you due to the number of occasions they appear in court more often than not for similar offences.
In one matter, weeks after a man was released from jail after serving a five-year sentence, he landed back before a Magistrate for a similar offence. That man is ex-con, Orin Favourite, 25, also known as ‘Solo’ of Rosemary Lane, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
Favourite was previously sentenced to five years behind bars for stealing a gold chain. But despite his previous conviction, the man once again found himself back in prison for a similar offence.
He had denied the charge which alleges that on July 30, 2021, at Hadfield Street, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, he robbed Mishal Juman of his iPhone 11 valued at $200,000. The latter charge states that on the same day and at the same location, while being armed with a gun, he robbed Chandroutie Juman of her phone valued at $98,000, one handbag valued at $25,000, and $405,250 in cash – he denied both allegations.
According to the police prosecutor, on the day in question the Jumans were making their way to motor car PZZ 3450 which was parked on the southern side of Hadfield Street, when Favourite and another man approached them.
The men were armed with guns and after relieving the Jumans of the articles mentioned in the charge, Favourite allegedly fired a shot at them but no one was injured.
The matter was reported to the police and an investigation was launched. This led to Favourite being apprehended and charged for the offence.
While in custody, the defendant reportedly said, “I want to see the people saying I rob them. I was present in the area when I saw some police officers come and pick up a bag from a garbage bin not too far from where I was standing.” However, the Jumans positively identified Favourite as one of the men who robbed them.
In May 2017, Magistrate Dylon Bess had sentenced Favourite to five years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of stealing a gold chain worth $135,000 from Charlie Hytmiah.
There was the case of repeat offender, Shaquiel Mentore, who was remanded to prison on three counts of larceny in July 2021.
The particulars of the first offence allege that on July 3, 2021, at Stabroek, Georgetown, he stole from Shenola Gittens one gold chain valued $120,000 and one Samsung galaxy J7 cell phone valued $73,000, a total value of $193,000.
The second charge states that on July 13, 2021, at Stabroek, Georgetown, Mentore stole from Cindy Lyttle, one gold chain valued $64,000 and two gold rings valued $30,000. This is a combined total value of $94,000, all property of the said victim.
The third charge states that on July 13, 2021, at Longden Street, Georgetown, the young man stole from Lavia Bookie, one gold chain valued at $100,000 and one gold and diamond pendant valued $100,000, with a total value of $200,000.
Mentore pleaded not guilty to the offences and was later remanded to prison on the grounds that he has pending matters before the court.
Like the aforementioned repeat offenders, 24-year-old businessman, Micah Sonaram of Lot 2273 Flying Fish Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, had faced the court on several occasions for fraud related charges.
The alleged serial fraudster, managed to secure bail on all his previous matters except for when he appeared before the Chief Magistrate in July last, when she remanded him to prison.
During all his court appearances he had denied the charges that were read to him.
The first charge alleges that on November 3, 2020, at North Road, Georgetown, while being solely entrusted with $1 million by Yohance Smith to purchase and deliver one Bobcat, he fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.
The remaining charges allege that on November 13, 2020 and November 20, 2020 at North Road, Georgetown, while being solely entrusted by Smith with $35,000 and $1 million to purchase an electric control joystick and 210-model excavator respectively, he fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.
On a previous appearance, he had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which alleges that on November 4, 2020 at North Road, Georgetown, while being solely entrusted with $7 million by Steve DeCosta to purchase and deliver one excavator, he fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.
Prior to that Sonaram faced three similar charges, after he reportedly defrauded several persons using his social media business page, Parts Zone Gy, which advertises that he ships parts and machinery. It was also reported that he faced two fraud charges which allege that he defrauded persons of over $11 million. During December 2020 he was charged for defrauding a businessman of $4.5 million and in 2017 he was charged for defrauding another man of over $5.8 million.
Moreover, in 2019 the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts saw 12 repeat offenders.
Kevin Rose and Shemar Moore were remanded in 2019 for the murder of Patrick Fraser called ‘White Boy.’ According to reports, the duo had allegedly shot Fraser on May 9, 2019, at Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara, during the course or furtherance of a robbery.
Twenty-three-year-old Moore, who is known as ‘Franky,’ was previously charged with a firearm matter. He was released on April 3, 2019 after serving a nine months sentence for robbery. Rose was also charged with a firearm matter and he was sentenced to serve four years in prison and was released on April 1, 2019.
Almost a month after serving time both men were implicated in the murder of ‘White boy.’
Also, Jobe Caesar, a 19-year-old national footballer, was sentenced to six months in prison after he was found guilty of wounding a cop.
The accused was on trial for unlawfully and maliciously wounding Police Corporal, Kerry Joseph, on September 3, 2018 at East Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
The facts of the charge indicated that on the day in question, Caesar went to visit his girlfriend at the location and he saw the victim there. They got into an argument and while the victim was leaving, the defendant dealt him a cuff to the face.
Caesar was also charged for allegedly stealing from his girlfriend and damaging her car valued at $3.5 million and was also charged for assaulting her.
Meanwhile, Morvin Akeem Mikoo was sent back to prison on a six-month sentence after he stole a cell phone belonging to Travis Rampaul.
On his first appearance before the courts in relation to this matter, he had identified himself as Akeem Bennett and also provided a fictitious address. After two months of evading the police under his false name, he was hauled back to court where he confessed to the deception.
Mikoo then told the court that he was sentenced to nine months in prison on a simple larceny charge and was only released a short while before the new incident.
The victim and Mikoo had met at a restaurant and Rampaul offered to buy him something to drink and take him for a treat. While out on the treat, Rampaul sent Mikoo on an errand.
However, the accused took that opportunity to steal the victim’s phone and made good his escape.
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