The complainant in a robbery with violence case informed the magistrate yesterday that he was being threatened by the two accused even while in the courtroom.
“Your worship while I deh sitting here, de two ah them who de choke and rob me deh threatening me and telling me that they gon deal with me,” said Francis Gill as he pointed to Levi Williams and Randy Joseph, when Williams had entered the courtroom for a second time after being escorted out for allegedly interfering with him.
Joseph, 24, of F Norton Street, Lodge and Williams, 24, of 24 Public Road Buxton, East Coast Demerara, both pleaded not guilty to the charge of robbery with violence when it was read to them by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
It is alleged that on October 17, Joseph and Williams robbed Gill of two gold bands valued $265,000 and they used violence in carrying out the act.
Defence attorney for Joseph and Williams applied for bail stating that they posed no flight risk and he tried to assure the court that Gill would not be in any danger if they were released.
However Prosecutor Sherwin Mathews objected to the bail applications, stating that both Williams and Joseph had been previously charged for similar offences. He also stated that he had seen Joseph and Williams boldly interfering with Gill while they were in the dock awaiting the reading of their charge and because of that Williams had be escorted twice from the courtroom. Mathews further stated that if the two men were granted bail there was a likelihood they would interfere with Gill.
The magistrate subsequently ordered that both Joseph and Williams be remanded to prison and transferred their case to Court Five for November 7.