Teenagers charged with murder, robbery under arms

Six teenagers were yesterday remanded to prison when they appeared before Magistrate Brassington Reynolds at the Vigilance Magistrates' Court charged with murder and robbery under arms.

Five of the teenagers were charged with the capital offence, resulting from the brutal murder of taxi driver Teddy Smith last Sunday night, while all six were slapped with a robbery under arms charge committed on another taxi driver the following night.

Those charged with murder are Christopher D'Anrade called Paul Jagnandan; Azim Khan, a mini bus conductor; Vijay Rajkumar called Eon and Kumar Seeraj also known as Boysie, all aged 17 years along with a 15-year-old boy.

Another 15-year-old was charged along with them for robbery under arms.

The accused are all from the Cummings Lodge area.

The teenagers all appeared in court barefooted and except for one of the 15-year-olds, were not represented by counsel.

A sprinkling of onlookers stared in shock when they saw the six accused being led from the courtroom.

They were apprehended between Monday night and Tuesday morning, after five of them reportedly escaped from police while robbing a taxi driver on the Ogle Airstrip road on Monday.

Teddy Smith was stabbed several times about his body and dumped from his car in the village of Beterverwagting , on the East Coast of Demerara on Sunday night. The following night the teenagers allegedly held up another taxi driver and were about to rob him, when an alert police patrol foiled their activity.

Police say apart from confession statements, they have overwhelming forensic and other evidence to convict the juveniles.

This newspaper understands that the four 17-year-olds were taken to the Camp Street remand centre, while the 15-year-olds are being held at the police juvenile facility at East La Penitence.

The teenagers who were not required to plea are to return to the Sparendaam Magistrates' Court on November 5.