ACTING Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen has threatened to imprison a Prosecution witness in the larceny case involving controversial television talk show host Ronald Waddell.

“If I should find you lying again, I will certainly jail you,” she warned Amarnauth Bharrat, of Lot 109 Ghandi Street, Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, on Thursday.

He was the third person sworn to give evidence at the trial in which Waddell is accused of stealing a bucket valued $350 from GUYOIL Regent Street service station, during the post elections unrest in Georgetown last year April 9.

The other two who testified were Roy Mendonza, the senior person in- charge of the outlet at the time and cashier Corey Obermuller.

Bharrat said he was employed as a security guard and was on the western side of the Regent Street location around noon that day when he heard a noise coming from the southern section.

He left the fuel tanker he was overlooking and went to see what was happening and saw a ‘Rasta’ (dreadlocked) man, whom he identified as Waddell, pick up a black bucket, empty the contents and go to the gasolene pump where he inserted the nozzle and drew from it.

Witness said Waddell took the bucket with its content in the direction of Wellington Street, without permission to remove it.

He did not follow the defendant because he did not want to neglect the tanker he was overlooking.

Under cross-examination by Defence Counsel Basil Williams, Bharrat, who worked at the Regent Street station for five of the 11 years he has been with GUYOIL, admitted that he did not, in fact, hear a noise but heard people shouting and did not leave his post as he had said in previous testimony.

The witness, who did not see either smoke or fire and said there was no crowd in the vicinity of the service station at the time, changed that version to say he saw a crowd run into the place after Police began shooting.

Bharrat said his superior summoned him about seven months after the April incident and one month before the trial was scheduled to start, telling him to give evidence in the matter.

He said the Chief Security officer told him to “get involved in the case” and he could not disobey the order.

Still answering Williams, Bharrat said he went to Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, also in the city, where he gave a statement.

The witness said, on his arrival there, an officer took him to the middle floor of the building, where the attestation was recorded.

Bharrat agreed there was a possibility the officer was expecting him but he was unaware that Waddell had already been formally charged.

Bharrat said he knew that three of his GUYOIL colleagues had been called to make statements, as well, but they had not discussed the case among themselves.

It was during the 6 am to 2 pm shift that the commotion took place but he left work at exactly 2 pm and went straight home, the witness recalled.

He said he travelled by bus and arrived at his destination around 3.30 pm and did not leave his house until the following morning when he was expected to report for 6 am.

Bharrat told Williams he maintained the same home to work routine for two weeks, regardless of what was taking place on the streets of the capital.

During the time he was at home, he read newspapers, watched television and listened to radio.

Re-examined by Special Prosecutor Darshan Ramdhani, the witness said he heard people shouting and saw them running from Police fire after Waddell picked up the bucket.

The case continues on March 6.