10 NEWS
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM
22-year-old arraigned for murder APNU/AFC Councillor apologises for false remarks of female security officer about No 52/74 NDC
APNU/AFC NDC Councillor Lakeraj Singh
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ne day ago Guyana Times reported that a Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) has not been providing needed services with the subvention it received from Central Government, which included a quantity of crusher run, and the Communities Ministry had taken one year to give approval for the Number 52/74 NDC to purchase laterite even as residents had complained about potholes. The story featured an A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change NDC Councillor Lakeraj Singh saying that the supplier currently did not have laterite, which is used as a binding agent for crusher run (crushed stones), in stock because of the closing of the Corentyne River by Surinamese authorities as part of measures being implemented by the Dutch-
speaking territory to stop the spread of novel coronavirus. Former Member of Parliament David Subnauth was also interviewed and said that the quantity of crusher run received in 2019 was not equal to the quantity currently being stored. However, after the story was posted on Guyana Times’ Facebook page and residents criticised Singh’s comments, he subsequently confessed that he provided inaccurate information and apologised for remarks he made in the article. In a social media post, Singh said: “I have learnt that auditors coming from the Auditor General Office to check on the quantities of crusher run that is currently lying in front of the Number 66 crematorium entrance. “I was informed that the letter for the approval for the usage of crusher run was not never received. But
1 arrested, another on the run for murder of Port Kaituma miner
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he Police have arrested one man and are looking for a second in connection with the beating to death of a miner at Aranguy Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) on Tuesday. The dead man, David James, is reportedly from Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini). Based on information received, on the day in question around 18:30h, James and another employee were imbibing at their worksite when an argument ensued between them. During the quarrel, the other employee left, but re-
turned shortly after with a friend who attacked James, punching him several times to the face and body. This resulted in James falling to the ground motionless. Ranks were summoned to the scene where James was found dead in a hammock. Regional Police Commander, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord told Guyana Times that a five-man team was presently on the hunt for the suspect, adding that there were stringent measures in place to ensure that the perpetrator was apprehended and prosecuted.
was misguided by a staff in the office...I do apologise for making that error.” Singh had said in the initial article there were other NDCs using crusher run without mixing it with laterite as a binding agent. In fact, he noted that the Number 52/74 NDC had done so in the past and questioned why after one year the NDC had not utilised the part of its 2019 subvention which had come in the form of crusher run. In another post on Wednesday, Singh said he was told that some of the material was used. He said the NDC Overseer told him that residents had removed some and he questioned whether permission was given for them to do self-help workers. He added that the auditors would have to go to the areas where the Overseer said he gave residents permission to use the crusher run and determine whether they had used the equivalent of the quantity missing. Some $2.3 million worth of the stones was placed at Number 66 and left lying there for months while residents complained of poor infrastructure.
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Persons paying their last respects to Dawnson
ne week after a teenager was charged for the murder of 68-year-old Margarett Dawnson, whose partially nude body was found in the Le Repentir Cemetery, Georgetown, the prime suspect was arraigned for the heinous crime on Thursday. The suspect, 22-yearold Jermaine DeJonge of Albouystown, Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and was not required to pleas to the indictments which stated that on May 18, 2020, he murdered Dawnson. DeJonge was shot to the leg during a confrontation with the Police after he was implicated in the murder. He had reportedly whipped out a knife and at-
Dead: Margarett Dawnson
tempted to stab one of the Police Officers at Stabroek Market Square after he was cornered by the ranks. He is a known character to the Police after he was previously implicated in several crimes in his community.
DeJonge was remanded to prison and was scheduled to make his next court appearance on June 25, 2020. Days after the murder, a 17-year-old was charged and remanded to prison by Magistrate Dylon Bess. Dawnson, a security officer attached to the Professional Guard Service (PGS) of Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD), left home for work, but her body was found lying between two tombs in the cemetery. She was laid to rest on Wednesday, and family, relatives, and friends turned up at Sandy’s Funeral Home to pay their last respects to the woman. Dawnson leaves to mourn six children and several grandchildren.
