Vendor Accused of Assault & Death Threats Granted Bail 

February 13 2025- After spending two weeks on remand, 36-year-old vendor Mawali Clarke of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown, has been granted bail totaling $40,000 on four charges, including assault, disorderly behaviour, and threatening language.

The bail, set at $10,000 per charge, was granted on Wednesday with conditions that Clarke must maintain the peace and avoid any contact with the virtual complainant, Dwayne Williams.

He is scheduled to return to court on March 14, 2025. During his initial appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Clarke, who was unrepresented by an attorney, pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

Acting Chief Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty had previously remanded him, citing the seriousness of the charges.

The charges stem from an incident on January 28, 2025, at the Alberttown Police Station in Georgetown.

Clarke is accused of assaulting Williams and threatening to shoot, cripple, and confine him to a wheelchair. Additionally, he allegedly displayed disorderly behaviour at the police station.

Testifying about the events that led to Clarke’s arrest, Williams of Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD), said he was awakened by a loud explosion and discovered his car’s windscreen shattered.

A neighbour reported seeing a man in a white T-shirt fleeing the scene. Williams searched the area and eventually confronted Clarke, who allegedly fled upon being questioned.

Williams said he pursued Clarke on a motorcycle and later apprehended him.

The confrontation escalated, and Clarke was taken to the Alberttown Police Station, where the alleged assault and threats occurred.

Clarke, however, claimed he was the victim. He told the court that he was chased, hit with a motorcycle, and assaulted by Williams and another man who attempted to chop him.

Clarke denied knowledge of the car’s damage or any wrongdoing.

While Williams maintained that Clarke repeatedly tried to hit him while handcuffed and issued threats to kill and cripple him, Clarke insisted he was restrained and unable to commit the alleged acts.

The courtroom atmosphere became tense when Clarke interrupted Williams’s testimony multiple times, prompting Magistrate Mc Gusty to warn him to remain silent.

Prosecutors initially opposed Clarke’s bail, emphasising the severity of the threats.

Despite the prosecution’s objections, Magistrate Mc Gusty granted bail on Wednesday with strict conditions to ensure public safety and the integrity of the ongoing case.

Court records revealed that Clarke was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in December 2022 after pleading guilty to stealing a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and three cartridges, valued at $353,000, from a Sheriff Security Services guard.