Prosecution witnesses Sergeant Herbert Henry and Inspector Wright yesterday testified at the continuation of the trial into the July 12, 2011 $7M Bel Air Gardens robbery.
Henry in his testimony spoke of having taken a statement from Jermaine Mitchell. The statement which was read to the court by the witness spoke of Mitchell’s alleged involvement in the armed robbery.
When asked if he wished to cross-examine Henry after hearing the contents of the statement and his alleged involvement in the offence; Mitchell declined.
Inspector Wright in his testimony spoke of taking a confession statement from Rayon Jones; another defendant in the matter. That statement spoke of Jones’ alleged involvement in the robbery.
Jones’ attorney, Randolph Kirton, however, challenged the witness account of taking the statement from his client.
Kirton in his cross-examination of Wright argued that his client never gave Wright any statement. The lawyer then said that his client was threatened into giving the statement to the police officer.
Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Phillip Bowman presented to the court the US and local currency which he previously testified to having discovered after conducting a search relative to certain information which he had received.
In previous testimony, he said that the money was found beneath a generator located in the compound of the Ocean Spray Hotel.
Bowman was then cross-examined by Kirton.
The trial continues on September 11.
The matter is being heard at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The allegation against Jermaine Mitchell, Rabindranaught Seemangal, Aubrey Simon, Rayon Jones, Hardat Kumar, and Chandraradha Rampersaud is that on July 12 at Bel Air Gardens, being armed with a gun, they robbed Annie Ramsood of $1.4M and US$29,000 equivalent to $5.8M, all totaling $7.2M. Shawn Hinds who was originally charged in this matter has since been cleared of the charges against him.
Additionally, being armed with a gun, they were all further accused of robbing Ramsood of one BlackBerry cell phone and a quantity of cash valued $427,000.
In addition, Mitchell, Simon, Hinds and Seemangal were arraigned for having in their possession eight rounds of 9mm ammunition and one 9mm pistol without being the holders of firearm and ammunition licence in force at the time.
Finally, a lone Simon was accused of attaching a false number plate to a vehicle. Simon denied that on July 12 he had a false ID number plate; that being PKK 3700 on a motor vehicle, knowing same to be false.
