Her son was shot as he tried to escape and the woman and a grandchild had to jump to safety through a window from the top floor of one of the houses in the village that adjoins Buxton. Others were also wounded as they escaped.

Both buildings were completely destroyed by the fire along with two cars and two motorcycles that were parked in the yard.

A horse belonging to the family was also shot in the neck and killed by the band. Livestock also perished in the blaze.

Some animals that were burnt were seen lying in the rubble later in the day, some still showing signs of life.

Ms. Edris Chester, of 144 Brusche Dam, said she was in bed around 01:20 hrs when she heard an explosion and felt an unusual heat in the house. She said that upon checking, she saw fire at the cupboard of her kitchen and the flames spreading to the wall nearby.

Chester and her four-year-old grandson who was asleep when the fire began, and her son Devon, were in the top flat of the two-storey building while three other occupants were in the bottom flat.

The distressed women said that when she saw what was happening she shouted, "Fire! Fire!...Help! Help!"

She said that Devon who was in the third bedroom jumped out of his bed and also shouted for fire. He immediately rushed to go through a door to get some water and was met with a hail of bullets, she related.

Chester said that despite the bullets being fired in his direction, her son managed to go and get a bucket of water which he threw on the blaze and quelled it a great lot.

In his desperation to save the building, he rushed to the door once again even as the gunmen continued shooting, bullets hitting the roof and the front wall of the building.

"I too rushed to the door...it was a life and death (situation) and when I looked out at the stairway to go down the step, that too was on fire. So I rushed back and went into my bedroom and I went under my bed and started praying and studying what to do with my four-year-old grandson who was asleep in the bed."

She said she then heard her son shouting, "Mom, ah get shot in me hand."

She said she went to the bedroom door and saw her two suites in the hall on fire.

At that she turned to her grandson who was awake and said to him, "You have got to be safe. I said, `Baby you will have to jump through the window'".

She said he responded saying, "Granny I'm scared".

The flames then spread to the bedroom wall and thick black smoke was coming towards them, Chester recalled.

The child, in panic, then attempted to jump through the window and Chester said she held on to him.

"I said, `Look baby, I am going to drop you out. Don't cry. I am coming behind you."

She said she held him by his hands, put him out through the window and let him down from a height of about 15 feet. He fell on a clump of vegetables planted at the side of the house.

Chester said she followed by jumping through the same window and landed near the boy, caught him and hugged and kissed him.

They both crawled to safety under a fruit tree and vines covering the area.

"While hiding under the vine plant I heard them saying `F... up everything. Don' leave nothing. Burn up these two cars!'

"Then I heard them beating the cars."

Chester said that when she looked around she saw her other house in the back yard that was occupied by her daughter and her two children, also on fire.

She said the bottom flat of that house was occupied by a young man who had witnessed the shooting of her other son, Brian, recently.

She said the young man had sought refuge at their home after being threatened by a bandit who was later shot and killed by Police some weeks ago.

She said those in the back house managed to escape from the burning building.

Chester said that as she and her grandson were hiding, fragments from the burning building began falling on them and they were seeking to move away into an area where they could have been safer.

She said she eventually saw a vehicle arrive at the scene and recognised the persons coming out as soldiers.

She shouted to them for help and they went to her rescue and were taken away to a safe area.

A fire tender arrived at the scene shortly after and began to fight the blaze, but both houses were well alight, she said.

She said she had often spoken out against attacks on other people from groups in Buxton and had been accused of being a Police "informer".

Bandits unleash terror in North Ruimveldt
Businesswoman forced to hand over cash and jewels at gunpoint; nephew beaten with baseball bat
By Shirley Thomas

The gunmen discharged several rounds outside the house, broke open window bars and shattered windowpanes and, 20 minutes later, made off with jewellery and an undisclosed sum of cash.

During the ordeal, the bandits entered the home by kicking at the window bars and using pieces of greenheart wood planks to break them down. They then held guns to the heads of a woman, her 12 and 13-year-old daughters, and her 23-year-old nephew, demanding cash.

The nephew was also beaten with a baseball bat for not revealing where the money was.

Relating the horrific incident, businesswoman, Ms. Marilyn Converty, who sells beverages outside the Stabroek Market, said that around 02:30 hrs, she was awakened by the sounds of what seemed like persons pelting on her roof. Her husband, Richard Small, who also runs the beverage business outside Stabroek Market, had not yet returned home, and her two daughters were asleep.

The woman said she immediately called out to her nephew, "Irving, Irving, somebody pelting on the house!"

But before she could get out of bed, she heard the heavy sounds of footsteps on the stairs. The bandits then began ramming the door with a plank to gain entry into the building. They did not succeed for the door was constructed of solid purpleheart wood.

Ms. Converty then heard the frustrated men "sucking" their teeth and using indecent language. Seconds later, the men began discharging random shots outside the house, possibly to keep neighbours at bay.

After beating away at the door for some time without success, one of men climbed onto a nearby window, shattered the panes with the plank, then kicked the safety bars down.

The bandit jumped into the house as Converty's nephew, Irving, was coming out of a bedroom. Cursing freely, the bandit ordered the young man to lie on the floor. He then, detached a fluorescent bulb, and attempted to open the door to admit the other gunmen.

But, as he was unable to open the door, he ordered the hapless young man to get up and open it.

Another of the bandits went into Converty's room where she and her daughters were huddled on the bed, and began demanding money and jewellery.

The bandit then held a gun to Converty's head and threatened her saying: "You does wear all dem...jewels, whey de jewels deh?"

Then one of the bandits slapped Converty hard and demanded that she should turn over the money and jewels. Fearful for their lives, the woman then got up and handed over a bag containing items of jewellery and about $50,000.

The men hastily looked at the cash and decided that it was not enough and called for more. In the meantime, a third robber in the living room, began beating the woman's nephew with a baseball bat because he would not say where the money was.

The intruders ransacked the house, and found her wardrobe locked. They ordered her to open it, but in the frenzy she could not even find the keys, Converty recounted.

Within seconds, one of the bandits broke the door of the wardrobe using only his hands. He ransacked the wardrobe and found more money, which he took into his possession, but still demanded more.

The businesswoman said that this made her really outraged and she began 'cussing' the bandits and they 'cussed' back. They eventually left after spending about 20 minutes in the home. It was then Converty telephoned her husband, who was at work.

Some of Converty's neighbours had rung for the Police after hearing gunshots.

The beleaguered woman said that although the Police responded in good time, the men had already fled. The Police combed the North Ruimveldt area, and shortly afterward, suspects were pursued.

A shootout ensued, and reports say that one man was shot and wounded in Nutmeg Street around 04:00 hrs.

The occupants of the home said that recently they had accommodated some overseas relatives.

However, the guests had left about a week ago.

Key law changes to support `public safety'
-- Luncheon
THE Government's proposal to revise key legislation "to support public safety" is intended to make prosecution "simple and easy", to impose "draconian" sentencing on those who create public disorder, and to minimise the discretion of judges and magistrates in imposing penalties for crimes that "offend" public order and safety, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon said yesterday.

One of the proposals that will make prosecution easier and simpler is the amendment to the Evidence Act, he said.

Dr. Luncheon said that the proposal for amendment to the Evidence Act is to make admissible evidence that is currently not admissible.

This, he said includes, output of information and communications technology - computer generated reports, tapes, pictures and similar imaging materials that are currently not accepted as evidence in local courts.

Luncheon said that Guyana is lagging way behind when it comes to the Evidence Act, adding that the proposed amendment is the first step in ensuring that Guyana catches up with what has been practiced in regional and international jurisdictions for decades now.

The amendments to the Evidence Act, the Racial Hostility Act and the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, were proposed by a specially convened Cabinet action group and were considered by Cabinet at an extraordinary session last Saturday.

After looking over the legal remedies available, the action group decided to propose the amendments "in the context of the anti-social and criminal occurrences that have recently bedeviled Guyanese society", Luncheon said.

He said the proposed amendments will also improve and enhance the activities of community policing groups and the Government's resolve to expedite the issuance of firearm licences to those who qualify.

Further, he said, the amendments seek to safeguard public and private property and re-emphasise the sacredness of private and public property.

Under the Racial Hostility Act, the proposed amendments will substantially increase the penalties for offences committed under the Act.

The definition of `record' would be widened to include any film, negative or tape so that persons who commit an offence under the Act by publishing any such material may be found guilty.

The proposed amendments will also give victims the right to seek compensation in the court.

Under the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, the amendments will allow for the monitoring of deportees here.

The Government has said there is a clear link between crime in Guyana and deportees.