The case against businessman Mark Grimmond and alleged hit-man Chatterpaul “Kevin” Singh, accused of plotting to murder Lethem businessman Dwayne Grant, has collapsed following Grant’s decision to withdraw his testimony.
The disclosure was made in court this week, prompting the State to discontinue the case entirely. Prosecutors indicated that Grant informed them he no longer wished to offer evidence, stating he had been paid for his silence.
Grimmond, who owns Mark Interior Communication Inc. and operates Mark’s Pool Side and Fun Park at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, and Singh, a miner from Cummings Lodge, were initially charged on June 13, 2019. They faced accusations of conspiring to murder Grant between April 1, 2018, and June 7, 2019, in Georgetown. The charges were serious indictable offenses, and the men were not required to plead.
During the initial proceedings, Grimmond was represented by attorneys Bernard DaSilva and Mark Waldron, who painted him as a 57-year-old father of 11, managing multiple businesses. Singh appeared in court unrepresented and had a previous history with law enforcement, facing charges of attempted murder and fraud.
Police Prosecutor Inspector Gordon Mansfield previously outlined the case against the men, revealing that Grant had received a tip-off that Grimmond had hired Singh to assassinate him. Fearing for his safety, Grant reported the threat to the police. Authorities later found Singh at a hotel in Lethem with an illegal firearm, and he reportedly admitted in a caution statement to being contracted to kill Grant. Investigators also recovered telephone records linking the two men.
Given the gravity of the allegations, the prosecution had opposed bail, leading Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to remand both men during the lengthy court proceedings.
However, after years of adjournments, the case reached its abrupt end this week when prosecutors informed the court of Grant’s withdrawal. Without his testimony and no additional evidence to support the conspiracy charge, the State moved to discontinue the matter.
