Notorious bandit Mark Lee Young was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after he confessed to four counts of armed robbery before Magistrate Roby Benn at the New Amsterdam Court yesterday.
However, he will only serve 10 years in jail as part of the sentence will be served concurrently.
Young, also known as Toney, threw himself at the mercy of the court, informing the magistrate, “I made a mistake and I am trying to correct it.”
Police Corporal Roberto Figueira, prosecuting in the case, said that on December 28, 2011, Younge, who was armed with a gun, robbed Bibi Osman of gold jewellery, cosmetics and cash totalling $590,000.
Osman was at her Smythfield home in New Amsterdam, when she heard someone calling shortly after 7pm. On looking outside the lower flat of the two-storied building, she observed four persons, including a masked gunman. Her son had attempted to run and raise an alarm but he was confronted by the bandit, who dealt him several lashes about his body before forcefully taking Osman to the upper flat where she handed over five gold finger rings, three gold chains, three pairs gold earrings, a pair of gold bangles, and cosmetic jewellery along with $200,000 in cash.
Meanwhile, on January 27 last at Number Seven Village, East Coast Berbice, Young robbed Indranie Ramnarine of several pieces of costume jewellery, a wristwatch, a Nokia cellular phone and nine $200 Digicel phone cards, totalling $269,200 in value.
On that date, Ramnarine was operating her shop when at 7:15pm, an unknown male, wearing dark clothing, pulled a firearm from under his shirt and pointed it in her direction, prior to demanding the costume jewellery and the other articles. He then escaped.
Figueira told the court that on February 3, Young robbed passenger Thakoordyal Ramshair, a clerk attacked to beverage giant Demerara Distillers Limited, of a driver’s licence and $14,000 in cash. In addition, minibus driver Chetram Sirkissoon was robbed of $200,000, which was the property of James Ross.
The robbery occurred during a holdup along the Number 19 Public Road, when Young, posing as a passenger, robbed the unsuspecting men of their property.
Young is currently serving a five-year sentence for simple larceny after stealing minibus BMM 5959, valued $2M, property of Inderjeet Doorsooran.
