Some of the accused

Before they were put in front of Acting Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen, the defendants stood up and repeatedly chanted: "Harambee! Harambee!" a Swahili word meaning working together, pulling together.

The allegations against them ranged from forcibly entering the Presidential Complex in New Garden Street with intent to use violence, malicious damage to State property in the Accounts Department there and participating in an unlawful precession without permission from the Commissioner of Police.

Among those charged yesterday were former television talk show host Ronald Waddell, who is ensnared in the allegation of aiding and abetting riotous damage to the Office of the President.

He pleaded not guilty and was put on $55,000 bail.

Police Inspector Gordon Peters, prosecuting, had objected to the grant for all the defendants, given the serious nature of the offences and where they were committed.

The Prosecutor asked for time to facilitate further investigations but the magistrate was not convinced that the Prosecution had presented enough evidence for her to remand the defendants in custody.

As a result, Anjie Howard 21, of Lot 15 Vigilance, East Coast Demerara and Karen Reis 31, of One Mile Squatting Area, Wismar, Linden, were granted pre-trial liberty on $10,000 recognisances.

A juvenile in their midst was told to deposit $20,000 and Calvin Anderson, as well.

Charles Smith, Kevin Marks, Robert Prince, Michael Waldron, Steve Paul and Charles Marks were made to find $35,000 each; Forbes Prince ($55,000) and the surety for Mark Glasgow (no address given either) and James Franklyn, 31, of Victoria, also on East Coast Demerara, was set at $30,000, individually.

The magistrate warned the defendants not to be involved in any other procession while free or their freedom would be withdrawn.

She admonished the bailers, too, about their responsibility to ensure the defendants return on July 29.

Prior to the Court appearance by the group, a bomb scare caused Mrs. Holder-Allen to clear her courtroom but the hoax also affected the High Court, from where people were evacuated, as well.

Normal activity resumed after explosives experts combed both premises and found no such devices.

Arson not ruled out in city fire
-- looters strike as flames rage
`About twenty to thirty people charged into the house, pick up things and start running left, right and centre with them...We thought they were Good Samaritans...' - Dale Vansluytman, whose house was looted
By Shirley Thomas

The fire left millions of dollars in destruction in its wake, victims said.

No one was reported injured in the fire but two households lost everything and persons living in the third house, which was badly scorched, suffered more losses when looters struck as the flames raged.

A witness said that shortly before the fire broke out, a woman was seen clapping her hands on the pavement opposite one of the houses, and uttering words which suggested that there was likely to be a fire soon.

About 10 minutes later, there were shouts of fire coming from the building, the witness said.

The fire which began at about 20:15 hrs was said to have started in a back bedroom of the front building in the eastern half of Lot 108 Third Street.

De Cunha yesterday said he was in his bedroom reading his Bible when his wife rushed inside shouting: "Fire in de back room! Fire in de back room!"

"By the time I rush to de back room something explode, and fire start coming through from all angle from de room," he said.

De Cunha said that for the last five months or so, he and his family had been renting the building from Sumner who is in New York. Initially, Allison was not in the building with them, but on a recent visit here by her husband, she approached him and requested his permission to share the property with her sister and family, he said.

De Cunha said they agreed and the young woman (aged about 32) moved into the back room of the property. According to him, that was only about a week ago, but problems began almost immediately.

De Cunha claimed that Sumner and his wife have been separated for some time.

He said the bottom flat of the building housed a vulcanising shop which had been closed for a while.

When the fire struck Monday night, items housed there included four motorcycles, a compressor, engines, jacks, batteries, a gas stove and washing machines belonging mainly to Robert Sumner.

Sumner's brother, Phillip, who lives in the building aback of the house in which the fire started, said he was at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, when he got a telephone call from his 15-year-old son that their house was on fire.

He said he hurried home, but luckily his house was not affected, since the firemen did a good job of containing the flames to the front buildings.

He said he was grateful that his niece and nephew were on the scene and offered protection for his home from persons who were there looting.

A second building, west of Sumner's, owned by Neil Vansluytman and occupied by his son Dale and his family, was not only severely scorched, but heavily looted by persons on the scene.

Dale said that as the fire raged and it became clear that his home was under threat from the flames, they ran out of the building and persons on the scene, pretending to be sympathetic, ran inside and began removing items.

But instead of removing them safely out of the way, the items were looted, he said.

The younger Vansluytman, shaking his head in despair, stated, "A lot of things missing."

"About half o' de house gone", he said.

Recalling the horror of the experience, Dale said: "About twenty to thirty people charged into the house, pick up things and start running left, right and centre with them...We thought they were good Samaritans..."

Some of the items stolen were a television set, microwave, generators and a cylinder with gas.

The entire eastern side of the building was scorched and walls and roofing damaged as well. Other items were destroyed by water.

Meanwhile, a third building at Lot 109 and occupied by Wesley Van Russum and his three children, Peter, Sarah and Natalie, was also razed.

The old and unpainted building burned rapidly and reports said that this situation was aggravated after power wires attached from the outer pole to the building burst and began 'dancing' uncontrollably.

Under such circumstances, firemen, out of caution could not apply water to that section of the building, witnesses said.

However, residents said the Fire Service performed creditably and firefighters were able to contain the flames to the three buildings even in an area where houses are built close to each other.