An employee and six men were yesterday charged with Wednesday night’s $10M armed robbery at the Western Union outlet on Church Street.
Maria Perreira, 20, Pierre Boyce, 19, Keith Lowenfield, Brian Dickson, 43, his son Brandon Dickson, Isaiah Hohenkirk, and Christopher Rogers, were arraigned on robbery charges before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. They were not required to plead to the charges after it was read to them.
Perreira, of 2036 Dowding Street, Kitty Boyce and Lowenfield, who were represented by attorney Mark Waldron, were granted $500,000 bail. The Dicksons, of Lot 808 Cummings Street, Hohenkirk of 1808 Festival City, and Rogers, of 1894 North Ruimveldt, were remanded to prison. The court heard that Lowenfield set up the robbery, and that Pereira, an employee of the Western Union outlet, was to receive $3M for her help.
It was alleged that on December 21, the accused, being armed, robbed Samantha Adonis of $10M, belonging to John Pires. Further, it was alleged that they robbed Adonis of a BlackBerry smartphone, valued $40,000.
Prosecutor Jairam Luckhai told the court that on the day in question, at about 10pm, Pires was at the Western Union outlet, located at 75 Church Street, when Dickson and Hohenkirk, who were armed with handguns, went in and relieved Adonis of the cash along with her phone, after which they escaped. The prosecutor stated that the matter was reported at the Alberttown Police Station and an investigation was launched which led to the arrest of Dickson and Hohenkirk. Further investigations, Luckhai added, resulted in the arrests of the other accused.
Luckhai also said that Hohenkirk alleged that Lowenfield set up the robbery while Pereira alleged that she was to receive $3M from the takings. He added that some $6.9M was recovered from the homes of the Dicksons and Rogers.
Waldron, making a bail application for his clients, said that the police are only relying on the confessions of the other accused, but they have no evidence as it relates to his clients. In particular, he said in relation to Boyce, the prosecution had nothing it its case against him.
The other accused were represented by attorney Adrian Thompson, who challenged the allegation that his clients brandished handguns. He pointed out that there are several cameras that are placed at Western Union outlets and he said that if there were any evidence against his clients these videos should be gathered. “If the police are saying that my clients did this, why don’t they get the videos from the Western Union cameras? There are normally cameras at these outlets, if the police can do so, then my clients would accept the facts, and plead guilty and serve their time right away. Why would my clients rob and brandish handguns knowing that cameras are all over? I can’t understand persons robbing an institution like that without being disguised,” Thompson said.
Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry granted Perreira, Boyce and Lowenfield bail on the condition that they hand over their passports to the authorities. The court also directed that they report every Friday at the Alberttown Police Station. The magistrate, however, denied bail for the other accused, based on the prosecution’s claims that they carried out the robbery.
The case has been adjourned to January 6.
