About one month after former police officer Ettian Charles was cleared of the 2018 murder of Security guard Rodney George of Victoria Village, his co-accused Ulric Hanson and Jerome Ollivierre, both of Mayreau and Glenville Harry of Vermont, have been committed to stand trial in the High Court for the murder.
At the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett ruled that a prima facie case was made out for Harry, Ollivierre and Hanson, after overruling no case submissions from Harry’s attorney Vynette Frederick, and Hanson who was unrepresented.
Charles, along with Harry, Hanson and Ollivierre were charged with murdering the Security Guard between August 31 and September 1, 2018. They were also charged with entering the GEC Auto Supplies building at Arnos Vale between August 31 and September 1, 2018 and stealing EC$2,074 in cash, the property of Gevandean Wilson, the owner of the business.
As the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into both offences entered its final stages on July 1, Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche agreed with Charles’ attorney Grant Connell’s submission, that there was no evidence to make out a prima facie case against Charles on the charge of murder. As a result, the Senior Magistrate discharged Charles on that charge.
Burnett, however, reserved his decision in relation to Harry, Ollivierre and Hanson on the murder charge. He had also reserved his ruling on the burglary charge in respect of all four men.
On Tuesday, Burnett not only ruled that a prima facie case was made out on the murder charge for Harry, Hanson and Ollivierre, but that a case was also made out for all four men on the burglary charge.
While Connell, Frederick and Hanson had made no case submissions on the murder charge, when the Prosecution rested its case on July 1, attorney Kensha Theobalds, who held the fort for Bruce on behalf of Ollivierre, did not make a no case submission.
George’s body, with throat slit, was discovered in the GEC Auto Supplies building on the morning of September 1, 2018. He was 50.
