A Kitty fruit vendor was granted $100,000 bail yesterday after pleading not guilty to a charge of robbery with aggravation.
Fitzroy Gibson, 27, of 72 Sandy Babb Street, Kitty was granted bail by acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson after the charge was read to him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Gibson, called ‘Bishop,’ had been shot in his buttocks by police during his arrest. Police said he had attacked the ranks with a cutlass, causing the resort to the use of force.
It was alleged that on March 19, Gibson, together with another, robbed Booj Maraj of $50,000 cash. Gibson was represented by attorney Vic Puran, who told the court that no identification parade was held to positively identify his client as the assailant.
He also queried why the charge was now being laid against Gibson.
Puran informed the court that Gibson was shot in his back by the police, who accused him of attacking them with a cutlass. He said his client has no antecedent and asked for reasonable bail to be granted.
Meanwhile, Maraj, the complainant, said that he was at Gordon Street where he had just received the money when Gibson, in the company of another, approached him. He recalled Gibson telling the other to “bring the gun.” Maraj said he got scared and the perpetrators snatched the money from him and calmly walked across the road, where they boarded a minibus and made their escape.
Police Prosecutor Inspec-tor Stephen Telford in response to Puran’s statements said there was no issue as to the positive identification of Gibson.
He was identified by Maraj and by a witness to the robbery who has known Gibson for a number of years.
As to the timeframe of the charge, Telford explained that the police were looking for Gibson for a while but he had been able to evade them. He added that on the day he was being sought in connection with the crime, Gibson was armed with a cutlass and was trying to escape when he was shot.
Telford asked for substantial bail to be granted. Bail was then granted and the matter transferred to Court 2 for June 15.
