Two Albouystown men Tyron Paris and Nigel Yearwood were yesterday sentenced to 60 months imprisonment after they were found guilty of robbery with violence.
Yearwood was also fined $10,000 for assaulting police constable Boodhnarine and in the event he fails to pay the fine he would be sentenced to an additional six months in prison, which is to be served concurrently with his 60-month sentence.
The charge against Paris and Yearwood, both of Barr Street, Albouystown, stated that on September 14, at Wellington Street, they robbed Siram Harrilall of a cell phone, valued $15,000, and $30,000 and at some point before, during or after the attack they used violence. They had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
When handing down the sentence at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, Magistrate Judy Latchman said that she had considered whether the men actually stole the phone or whether they had purchased it as claimed by Paris, 33, and Yearwood, 28.
She said that she believed Harrilall when he said that he was hit on his head and choked by the two men and that the attack lasted for approximately two minutes.
She added that she found the evidence provided by Harrilall to be reliable and as a result she found both of them guilty of robbery with violence.
Yearwood was also accused of resisting Con-stable 19766 Boodhnarine and Constable Kevin Hubert while they were performing their duties. He was also charged with unlawfully assaulting Boodhnarine and Hubert, all of which happened on September 14. He pleaded not guilty to all of the additional charges.
Magistrate Latchman said that she believed that Yearwood exerted force on Boodhnarine and found him guilty of assaulting a peace officer.
The charges against Yearwood of assaulting Hubert and resisting arrest were dropped.
In determining the sentences, she said she took into consideration the seriousness and prevalence of the offences and the time the duo had spent incarcerated.
She then sentenced Yearwood and Paris to 60 months imprisonment each.
Yearwood maintained his innocence when the sentence was announced and stated that he never stole the phone or cash from Harrilall.
