The duo, Dorwin Richmond, 21, and Troy Nelson, 18, admitted to the charges and begged Magistrate Nigel Hawke for leniency.
They were sentenced to three years in jail for two counts of robbery under arms and two years each for the possession of an unlicenced firearm and ammunition, which would run consecutively.
The court heard that around 4.20 pm on April 1, the defendants robbed Krishna Seelall and his wife, Yokoliza Seenarine, the owners of a grocery store at Hope, Bath New Housing Scheme of $19,233 and personal documents.
The young men mentioned the name of the son of a government official and told the magistrate that he dropped them off to commit the robbery with a white “tinted” car.
They also said that they helped the man – who gave them the gun – to plot the robbery and had initially intended to rob another shop in the area. They also said they were sorry for their actions.
In response, Magistrate Hawke reprimanded them and said they had disgraced their families and society and could have found better things to do with their lives because they were still young.
The magistrate said though, that he was giving them time to sort themselves out by sending them to jail.
It was an emotional scene in the courtroom as the men and their families broke down in tears after the sentence was handed down.
Meanwhile, Richmond and Nelson were arrested shortly after the robbery and police recovered an unlicensed .38 Taurus revolver along with four matching rounds and a haversack containing the stolen money and documents.
Police mounted a roadblock after receiving a report about the robbery.
They saw the men exiting a minibus and escaping towards a rice field and gave chase.
They had held Seenarine at gunpoint and then bound her and Seelall with duct tape as they ransacked the house and demanded the cash.
