Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday remanded an 18-year-old man to prison after he appeared before her to answer two counts of robbery under arms allegedly committed at Linden.
Charged with the indictable offence is Richard Defreitas of Lot 1161 Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden.
The court was told that on October 28 at Amelia’s Ward, being armed with a gun, the accused robbed Colleen Bovell of gold jewellery, a wristwatch and a cell phone, totaling $287,000 in value.
It is further alleged that on the same day while again being armed with a gun, he also robbed Petra Powell of one gold ring, two gold chains and cash amounting in value to $115,000.
The accused was not required to plead to the charges when they were read to him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ court.
According to the facts presented to the court by Prosecutor Lionel Harvey, on the day in question the accused entered the salon of the VCs and pulled out a handgun and held them at gunpoint while he relieved them of the articles.
The prosecutor related that the accused was positively identified because he is well known to the police. According to Harvey, bail should not be granted to the accused since it is a very serious charge and if he is placed on bail it is likely that he would not return to court. Attorney-at-law James Bond told the court that the police did not find anything on his client and he also stressed that another person who was also arrested was not placed on an identification parade but was released. The attorney argued that it is a case of mistaken identity and asked that DeFreitas be placed on reasonable bail.
The prosecution promptly objected to the application made by the attorney and said that the other party who was arrested was placed on an ID parade but he was never identified and so he was released.
The magistrate ruled in favour of the prosecution and the matter was adjourned until November 8 when it will be called again at Christiansburg Magistrates’ Court.
