A teenager accused of robbery-under-arms after allegedly stealing $200,000 belonging to his employer was yesterday placed on $500,000 bail when he appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The allegation against Clifton Gibson is that on August 25, being together with others, and being armed with a gun, he robbed Lawrence Brown of one haversack containing $200,000, property of the said Lawrence Brown.
Gibson, 17, of ‘K’ 18997 Perry Street, Tucville, Georgetown, was not required to plead to the indictable robbery-under-arms charge when it was read to him.
Attorney Trenton Lake who represented the accused told the court that up until the date of the alleged offence, his client had been employed as a handyman by the virtual complainant (VC).
Lake said that according to his instructions, the accused was not at work on the day in question nor was he ever at the scene.
When he reported for work the following day, however, counsel said that his client was arrested, charged, and placed in custody where he remained until yesterday.
The lawyer then made an application for his client to be admitted to reasonable bail, stating that he has no antecedents, has a fixed address and poses no risk of flight.
The prosecution, however, objected to counsel’s bail application, citing that the accused had admitted to committing the offence in a caution statement which he gave to the police. However, the magistrate later granted Gibson his pretrial liberty since the prosecution could not present the caution statement to the court.
After being told that his client was placed on $500,000 bail, Lake asked for a reduction, stating that Gibson would be unable to afford that amount. He further argued that bail being granted in excess of what an accused person can afford is “tantamount to no bail at all.”
The magistrate, however, denied the attorney’s request.
Gibson’s matter will be called again on October 4 at Court One of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for report and fixture for trial.
