UK-based man found dead

By Sara Bharrat | Friday, February 27, 2009

- was bound and gagged, robbery suspected

An elderly man, his hands and feet bound, was found dead in his D’Urban Backlands home yesterday, in an apparent robbery/murder.
George Codogan, believed to be in his late 70’s to early 80’s, was discovered bound and gagged in the upper flat of his Lot 180 D’Urban Backlands home at around 4pm. His brother, Glen Codogan, made the discovery.

His relatives told Stabroek News that George was an UK-based Guyanese who returned home just before Christmas last year. The man, according to them, had planned to sell his house and return to England where his wife and children are. “Look he came home to look after his things and he going back to England in a casket,” an upset relative stated.

Relatives suspect that the perpetrator/s gained entry to the house through ground floor windows which were being repaired. A relative, who saw the man’s body, reported that his hands were tied in front of him with a chequered shirt, while his feet were tied with a handkerchief. Further, the relative explained that George had some sort of material stuffed in his mouth but there were no marks of violence. They said that he appeared to have been suffocated. “He was lying on his side on the floor in his bedroom with his hands and foot tied up…he was only wearing his boxers and a vest,” a relative said.

According to the relative, the man’s house was clearly ransacked and several electronic items, including a laptop, were missing. The man’s stereo was left abandoned near a window and clothing was scattered about his bedroom.

When Stabroek News arrived on the scene shortly after 5pm, the police were already present and carrying out their investigations.
Relatives explained that George had several contractors working on the front windows of his ground floor. Window panes were missing and two large sheets of plywood were used to block entry to the building. However, those sheets of plywood, a relative said, were not properly nailed to the surrounding wall to keep them in place.

Glen had visited his brother early yesterday morning to take him some fruits. He shouted for George several times and after receiving no response he left the bag tied to the gate. After Glen made several attempts to contact George by telephone but received no response, he visited again and noticed that the plywood blocking one of the windows was out of place. With further probing, Glen realised he could gain entry to George’s house and it was at this point, he told relatives, he knew something had happened to his brother. He immediately searched the house and soon found George dead in his upper floor bedroom. The police were immediately informed.

George was last seen in his yard by a neighbour shortly after 5pm on Wednesday and relatives said that they had spoken to the man by telephone that same evening. According to them, the attack had to have happened sometime between 6pm Wednesday and yesterday morning.

Approximately three hours after the discovery of George’s body attendants from the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour arrived to cart the body away. Police, up to press time, had not issued a statement on the matter.

Retired UK-based solicitor was strangled to death

By Stabroek staff | Saturday, February 28, 2009

The The 77-year-old UK-based Guyanese who was found dead with his hands and feet bound in his D’Urban Backlands home on Thursday was strangled to death.

A post-mortem examination conducted by government pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh yesterday revealed that the cause of death was compression of the neck.

Stabroek News has also been told by a relative that George Cadogan was beaten in the head during the incident and that his head was swollen.
From all appearances the motive was robbery as some items including a laptop were missing from the home.

Police said in a release yesterday that Cadogan, a retired solicitor and British citizen, of 180 Century Palm Road, D’Urban Backlands was found around 4.45 pm.

The elderly man was lying on the floor of his house with his hands and feet bound and his mouth gagged with a bed sheet, the release said, adding that the entire bedroom was ransacked.

Further investigations revealed that a laptop computer was missing.
When Stabroek News revisited the scene around midday yesterday, it was still cordoned off with yellow police tape. Two ranks were observed going to several nearby houses where they spoke with persons.

This reporter was told by one of the officers that entry could not be gained to speak to the man’s relatives as the house was still a crime scene. More ranks were inside questioning relatives and conducting further investigations.

It was Cadogan’s brother, Glen who made the gruesome discovery. He turned up at the house after several telephone calls to the home went unanswered and noticed that a sheet of plywood blocking a window on the ground floor was out of place.
He was earlier forced to tie a bag of fruits to the gate after his brother did not respond to his calls.
Relatives had told this newspaper that the dead man was a UK-based Guyanese who returned home just before Christmas last year.
The man was planning to sell the property and return to England where his wife and children reside.

At the time of his death, some minor repairs were being done on the house. Relatives had expressed suspicions that the perpetrator/s gained entry to the house though ground floor windows which were being repaired.
The man’s children were scheduled to arrive in the country last night.