Andrew Thomas (no address available) was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court for allegedly using a gun to rob a bus conductor of a quantity of cash.
He was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge of robbery under arms but he pleaded not guilty to the charges of possession of a firearm and a quantity of ammunition when Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton read them to him.
It is alleged that on July 31, being armed with a gun he robbed Wayne Forde of $7,000 cash.
He denied that on the same day he had a .22 revolver and three .22 rounds of ammunition in his possession without being the owner of a firearm licence.
Thomas, who was crying at the time, told the magistrate that this was the first time he had ever been charged.
Prosecutor Shellon Daniels requested that Thomas be remanded to prison and that a date be set for the commencement of the Preliminary Inquiries into the firearm and ammunition matters.
She noted that the case file for the robbery under arms matter will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecu-tions for advice.
Thomas is expected to return to court on August 16.
At about 7.30 pm on Saturday, police said in a press statement that an armed man joined a Route 40 (Kitty/Campbellville) bus at Sherriff Street and requested to get off at Garnett Street on Vlissengen Road. Investigations, according to police, revealed that as the man was disembarking the bus, he held up its conductor, Forde. The armed man, police reported, relieved Forde of $7,000 and escaped on foot. However, Forde and the minibus driver pursued the man. Ranks from a mobile unit joined the chase shortly after and the robber was caught in the Station Street yard. A .32 revolver, three matching rounds and the stolen cash were recovered from the suspect, police said.
