Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson on Wednesday sentenced a cane-cutter to two years imprisonment after he admitted to making use of violence to rob two persons of a cell phone and a quantity of cash.
Sherwin Glenn, 19, of Patentia, West Bank Demerara pleaded guilty to two separate charges of robbery with violence when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. He admitted that on July 25, at Patentia, he used personal violence to rob Rodsdale Paul of a cellular phone valued $29,000 and Colvin Junior of $3,000 cash.
Prosecutor Kevin London told the court that Glenn had been convicted for four similar offences in the past and that he had spent one year in prison for each offence. He said that Glenn had been released from prison in June. The prosecutor said that on July 25, at about 2.30am, Paul and Junior were making their way home along the Patentia Public Road when Glenn approached them on a bicycle and sprayed “bass” (a noxious substance) into their faces. He then relieved them of the said items and fled. London said Junior, who knew Glenn prior to the incident made a report at a police station.
London then told the court that sometime after the incident police were chasing Glenn and he had attempted to escape but was caught by public-spirited citizens, who dealt him several blows about his body, which caused him to sustain injuries.
In his defence Glenn told the court, “I din run from de police and I din spray no ‘bass’ in nobody face but I tek de money and de phone from dem.” He said that he had robbed Junior and Paul because Junior had borrowed $1,500 from him some time ago and that he had never reimbursed him because he was incarcerated. Glenn said on the night of the incident he had approached Junior and had asked him for the money but that the man had told him that he had no money for him. He said he then decided to rob both men.