Cops get extension on arrest of suspects in British teen’s murder
As investigators continue to probe the murder of British teen Dominic Bernard, the High court yesterday granted a 72- hour extension to police for the detention of suspects Aaron George and Staymon George, who are still to be charged.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News that an application was made yesterday to the High Court for extra time, which was granted.
Three others also remain in custody, including the woman who tried to help George to leave the country, a friend of Hing and another. They were all held within a day of the discovery of a decomposing body that is believed to be that of the teen.
Both Hing and Staymon George confessed on Saturday during intense questioning by police to luring Bernard, 18, to his death at Nurney, which is the village next to their home village of Kildonan.
The men told investigators a harrowing story, which detailed a well thought-out plan that was to end in murder.
Two days before Bernard’s arrival in Guyana in October last year, the men rented a white Raum car that they used to travel to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, where they picked up Bernard. After going to a restaurant at Sheriff Street in Georgetown, where they ate and drank, they then travelled to Kildonan. On arrival there, they told Bernard that they wanted to show him something in the backlands and the teen agreed to accompany them. The area where they ventured was very dark and bushy and they had to use light from a cell phone to see where they were going.
This newspaper was told that upon arrival at a certain spot, the teen was told that what he was to be shown was in the ground and that they had to dig to get to it. He was asked if he could assist in the digging and he agreed.
There was a shovel nearby but as soon as he bent to start digging a piece of wood was used to hit him on the head. A hammer was then used to bludgeon him to death before he was thrown into the shallow grave
A post-mortem examination that was performed on the decomposed remains concluded that that the deceased died from subdural haematoma as a result of multiple cranial fractures, compounded by fracture to the spine.
DNA tests have to be conducted to verify that the decomposing body is that of Bernard.
A camera and other equipment belonging Bernard was found on Sunday not far from where the body was unearthed.
Blanhum had informed Stabroek News that the camera, a monitor, tripod and other compo- nents were found buried some two dams away from where the body was discovered in a shallow grave.
Bernard had travelled from London to Guyana on October 14, 2015. His father has said that the teen was supposed to have been visiting Hing. There was no trace of him after he cleared customs.