Douglas, six others indicted --two women granted bail Stabroek News March 15, 2000 Andrew Peter Douglas, whom police had named as an accomplice of the late Linden 'Blackie' London in a series of robberies, was refused bail when he appeared before Chief Magistrate, Paul Fung-A-Fat, yesterday to answer 14 indictable charges. Douglas also called 'Fine Man' and 'Todd Dexter' appeared along with six other persons, among them his reputed wife and another woman. The charges included attempted murder, robbery under arms and receiving stolen property. Douglas, handcuffed and with his feet chained, appeared in a court filled with the curious who wanted to get a look at one of Guyana's most wanted. Douglas is accused of being involved in the America Street cambio robbery which occurred on September 22, 1999; the Didco robbery of September 1, 1999 and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) robbery of January 10, this year. Toyin Anderson, one of two persons committed to stand trial in the High Court last month for the America Street cambio robbery, was also linked to the Didco robbery, police said. The other persons charged with robbery and robbery-related activities were Douglas's girlfriend Vanetta Samlall called 'Baby', 20, of 33 Race Course Dam, Corentyne; Anderson of 42 Samaroo Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara; Omali Rogers of 83 Woodpecker Lane, Amelia's Ward, Linden; Sherwin Brandt of 15 Norton Street, Wortmanville; Kevin Alli called 'Raspo' and his reputed wife Siramarvo Indira Rudolph, 23, of 256 Long Pond, Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara. Douglas, whose address was given as 32 Middle Walk, Friendship, East Coast Demerara, and Alli are accused of robbing D. Singh and Sons Cambio and businessman Ramzan Bacchus of over $8 million in local and foreign currency, on September 22, 1999. The charge against Alli said he was an accessory before the fact in the commission of the offence. Douglas is charged separately with five counts of attempted murder on policeman Ewart 'Toots' Hutson, Mubarack Khan, Vishnu Narayan, Jermaine Brower and Brian 'Tussie' Nelson, allegedly committed during the robbery. Douglas, Anderson, Rogers and Brandt are charged with robbing Didco's Cowan Street, Kingston premises of $635,502, on September 1, 1999. Additionally, the quartet are accused of robbing Didco employees Sharon Ramdehol, Gail Baird and Rakha Ram Singh of gold jewellery totalling $72,250 and a Taurus revolver and ammunition valued $70,600. They are also charged with attempting to murder Singh. Douglas alone was charged with the January 10, robbery of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) in which $13,736,999 was taken. The two women--Rudolph and Samlall--were charged separately with receiving stolen property. According to the police, between September 22, and March 11, of this year, they received $100,000 each from Douglas. In his plea for bail, Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes, representing all the defendants except Douglas, who did not have a lawyer, told the magistrate that his client, Alli, had said that the police had tortured him. Describing the alleged incidents as "degrading acts of torture," Hughes said that Alli's private parts were tied with a string to his neck. However, Special Prosecutor, Attorney-at-law Khemraj Ramjattan, argued that Alli had been charged as an accessory and the inference was that his participation was just "as deadly." Hughes asserted that his client had never been in trouble with the law and had an unblemished record. He added that Rudolph, his client's wife, was three months pregnant and urged that the magistrate use his discretion and grant bail. However, Fung-A-Fat refused bail for Alli, citing the seriousness of the offences. He also refused bail for the other men for the same reasons. The women were allowed bail in the sum of $100,000 each. Douglas was captured in Suriname and handed over to the police last week by Dutch authorities who brought him to Guyana. As a result of police investigations charges were laid. Clyde Atwell, a taxi-driver, who was also accused of being part of the gang in the America Street cambio robbery, was committed to stand trial in the High Court last month. London, who police said masterminded the cambio robbery, was killed in a shootout last month at a guest house in Eccles. The case continues on March 21