Leon Fredericks, accused of robbing a man of a BlackBerry at knife-point, on Thursday admitted to the crime, saying he needed money to clear a debt.
A scrap metal labourer, Fredericks, 21, of Lot 6 McDoom, East Bank Demerara, had been remanded on Wednesday by Magistrate Faith McGusty on an armed robbery charge.
Prosecutor Winneth Hubbard said that on October 13, in Georgetown, Fredericks, while being armed with a knife, stole a BlackBerry Curve, valued at $40,000, from Joshua Singh.
Hubbard noted that Singh and his wife were sitting in the Promenade Gardens when Fredericks walked up to him with a knife and demanded his phone. Hubbard added that Singh pulled out a knife from his pocket and reached into Singh’s pocket and stole his phone.
Singh reported the robbery to the Alberttown Police station, where Fredericks was identified in a line-up.
When the magistrate asked Fredericks why he committed the offence, he said, “I did take the phone but he followed me and collected his phone; I was a little frustrated because I owed a man $40,000 and I needed to the money.”
Fredericks also stated that he had previously been previously charged with loitering but the case was dismissed.
As a result of his change of plea, the magistrate ordered a probation report be done to inform sentencing. In the interim, Fredericks has been remanded to October 25 in Court One.
