The three men who are accused of setting fire to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Linden office are now on remand after appearing before a Linden Magistrate.
Teon February called ‘Nut’, 23, a labourer of Canvas City, Wismar Linden, Marlon Hunter called ‘Bushy’, 21, of 4th Street, Silver Town, Wismar, Linden and Bryon Kendell called ‘Murgie’ were this afternoon jointly charged and then remanded to prison when they appeared virtually before Magistrate Wanda Fortune.
The charge which they were not required to plead to states that on July 14, 2020, at Lot 2 Burnham Drive, Wismar, Linden, they unlawfully and maliciously set fire to the building which housed the GECOM office.
They will make their next appearance on July 30.
February is also facing several other charges: possession of a gun and ammunition and burglary. The firearm-related charges allege that on July 5, 2021, at Sliver Town, Linden, he had a 9mm semi-automatic pistol along with 8 matching rounds in his possession, when he was not a holder of a firearm license. He also faces two counts of simple larceny and a burglary charge. February was not required to plea to these charges.
Hunter was represented by attorney-at-law Yondessa Welcome-Mercurius while February and Kendall were unrepresented. The attorney made an application for bail but the police prosecutor objected noting that the crime is serious since it was committed on a public building.
The prosecutor told the court that the matter is still under investigation by police in Linden. The prosecutor also said that February and Hunter are expected to appear in court on Monday for charges relating to break and enter with larceny.
This publication previously reported that three men were arrested about the allegations. February reportedly confessed to the police that Kendall told him that he wanted him to burn the GECOM building.
February said he then told his cousin Marlon Hunter to join him, and on the said night, sometime after 22:00hrs, Kendall picked them up in a silver Note motor car and they drove to Burnham Drive where Kendall pointed out the building to them.
February said Kendall told him that he wanted the building to burn the same night and that he would give them $150,000 on completion of the task. Kendall reportedly gave the duo a yellow five-gallon bottle of gas which he had in his car trunk at the time and then left. February said they hid the gas in some nearby bushes a short distance from the GECOM building and they went home.
The men then went on July 14, 2020, and gained access to the GECOM building from the back door. February said they then went to what appeared to be a storeroom in the upper flat of the building where he threw the gas and lit the room on fire. After setting the room on fire, there was an explosion which caused them to receive burns on their feet.
February said they escaped the scene and went home using the same route they took to get to the building. On their arrival home, he said he met his three cousins and February told his cousins what had transpired. One of the women then tended to the burns.
The same night Kendall went to February’s home and gave him $75,000, which he gave to his cousin, Hunter. The following morning, Kendall gave him the other $75,000. After that date, February said he saw Kendall several times but he did not say anything about the incident. Marlon Hunter was also interviewed and he supported the story told by February.
