Taxi driver witness collapses
Chief Magistrate Paul Fung-A-Fat was yesterday forced to adjourn the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the America Street cambio robbery when a witness collapsed in the witness box while under cross-examination by defence attorney Basil Williams. Orwin McAulay, a taxi driver at the East End Taxi Service, was just about to answer a question posed to him when he buckled and started to fall forward. However, Williams and others rushed to the witness's assistance and he was placed on a bench to lie. He was unable to continue and the magistrate adjourned the matter for continuation today. Toyin Anderson and Clyde Atwell are charged indictably with six counts of attempted murder and two of robbery. Along with two other wanted men, Linden London called `Blackie' and Andrew Douglas, the defendants are alleged to have on September 22 robbed D. Singh and Sons cambio and another businessman of millions in local and foreign currencies. Six persons, including an off-duty policeman, were also shot during the robbery of the business which is located on America Street. The robbers are reported to have then made their escape through the busy Water Street area covering their trail in a blaze of gunfire. The men then made their way into the East Bank Demerara canefields aback Mocha Village where they kept both army and police troops at bay for several hours with gunfire. However the robbers escaped and following investigations the two defendants, Atwell and Anderson were both arrested and charged.
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