One of the five men fingered in April as being involved in the robbery at the Phone Depot store on Middle Street, when over $10M in cash and items were stolen, was yesterday separately charged with that robbery as well as four other robberies.
Twenty-one year-old Leon Watson of Lot 32 Sussex Street, Charlestown, was not required to enter pleas to five indictable charges of robbery under arms.
It is alleged that on April 3, Watson used a gun to rob Damion Dorwish of seven laptop computers, 154 cell phones, 25 cameras and an amplifier, among several other items, totalling $10,454,000, the property of Ameer Amad.
It is also alleged that on the same day he also robbed Dorwish at gunpoint of a cell phone and a gold and diamond ring with a total value of $110,000.
Watson is also accused on the same day of robbing Vishal Roopchand of a quantity of cash and a cell phone with a total value of $110,000; Rodrick Lake of a quantity of cash, an Ipod and a cell phone with a total value of $345,000 and Alistair Hawker of two cell phones, a haversack and a quantity of cash with a total value of $118,560.
His lawyer Sasha Roberts applied for bail for him on the grounds that her client has a solid alibi regarding his whereabouts on the day of the robberies.
She said that her client was at work in Princes Street and his employer can attest to that fact.
The magistrate then informed the lawyer that the details of the case will be discussed at Watson’s trial.
Roberts then noted that none of the stolen items were ever recovered on her client’s person or at his home.
Prosecutor Shellon Daniels objected to the bail application on the grounds of the seriousness of the offence, adding that Watson has several pending matters against him in the court that arose from these new charges that were instituted against him.
She requested that Watson be remanded to prison and that a date be set for filing of statements and application of the Administration of Justice Act to the charges which would allow Watson to plead to them.
The magistrate then refused bail for Watson and ordered that he return to court today for another hearing into the matters.
The four other men who were charged with robbery under arms at Phone Depot and brought before the court on April 7 were Kurwin Heywood, Wayne Isaacs, Ulric London and Dwayne Graham.
They were all remanded to prison.
According to a police release at around 4 pm on April 3 three men, two of whom carried firearms, entered the store and held up security guard Balram Pooran, supervisor Damion Dorwish and three female employees and a male customer.
