It happened after Police Inspector Gordon Peters told the Court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had withdrawn the charge against the teenagers because Vincent Metivior Alli, the man from whom the defendants tried to extort money, declined to give evidence.

Victor Alli, 17, of Lot 164 Happy Acres, East Coast Demerara and Inshan Khan, 16, of Lot 159 Curtis Street, Albouystown, Chandra Shakar Ragnauth called Sohan, 18, of Lot 5 Lamaha Street and Mark Pompey, 18, of Lot 202 Charlotte Street, in Georgetown, too, had been accused of conspiracy to defraud and demanding money with menace and intent to steal.

Alli alone faced an additional charge of giving false information to a public officer with intent, to which he pleaded guilty and was fined $15,000 with the alternative of six months imprisonment.

The Prosecutor recalled that, on December 10, 2003, Alli was arrested and taken to Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters for questioning about the alleged kidnapping and gave a statement to Detective Sergeant Bryan Vieira, saying he was kidnapped by armed men.

But the report was later found to be false.

The four young men had pleaded not guilty to the charges, one of which alleged that, between December 9 and 10, 2003 they conspired with each other to defraud Vincent Metivior Alli, father of Victor Alli, of $1M, by falsely representing that the younger Alli was abducted for ransom.

Another charge said, on December 9, the defendants demanded $1M from Vincent Metivior Alli while threatening to harm him and his family, with intent to steal the sum.

It emerged that the teen Alli had faked his own kidnapping and stayed at a friend’s home, in a bid to get the cash from his father to fly to Trinidad where his mother resides.