GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Five Guyanese men have seen the future – and it does not watch porn. Not even softcore. It does, however, take people who do watch porn – at least softcore – and put them in jail.Bernard Sinclair, Shabbir Baksh, Mahase Prashad, Wren Bobb, and Ramchandradat Singh, ranging in age from 27 – 35, recently pled not guilty to charges that they had not traded obscene objects. Charged after having been found by police with copies of a local video, Guyanese Girls Gone Wild, the five men were released from by Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan’s court on $25,000 bail each.
The video is said to be the latest adult fare to arrive in Georgetown, with clips appearing online but later removed. An investigation is under way.
The men, three of whom operate video stores, are accused of having the video in their possession on July 14th, during a police sweep of video clubs and vendors throughout the city.
Sinclair’s attorney, Linden Amsterdam, defended his client by stating that he was merely an employee at the Reggae Video store and had no idea what was on the items collected by authorities. “He is merely a servant of his employer,” Amsterdam explained.
He did, however, admit that some members of the video club are able to attend special video showings, but insisted that “this is more about supporting local product.”
Vic Puran, counsel for Prashad, Baksh, and Bobb informed the court that “These videos are not obscene or indecent, but are for purposes of instruction.” His clients have been placed on $5,000 bail at police headquarters and have been reporting in since. Puran insists that they are not a flight risk.
The five men will return to court on August 21st.
