The suspect in a carjacking was yesterday remanded to prison after being faced with three counts of armed robbery.
The allegation against Quacey Roberts is that on October 18, at East La Penitence, Georgetown, being armed with a gun and in the company of others, he robbed Jermaine Knights of a premio motor car, valued $2.8M, belonging to Troy King. It is further alleged that at the same time, he robbed Knights of his cell phone, valued $50,000, and $43,000. Finally, Roberts is accused of using the gun to rob Theresa Fredericks of a cell phone, valued $53,000, and a purse.
He denied the charges when they were read to him by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, before whom he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Another man, Hansel Chung, 44, was also charged with receiving the engine of the stolen vehicle.
The court heard from Prosecutor Michael Grant that on the night in question Knights, the driver of the car, had journeyed to East La Penitence with Fredericks to pick up another passenger.
Grant said that it was while Knights and Fredericks sat in the car awaiting the other passenger to join them that Roberts, in the company of others, approached and held them at gun-point. The court was told that the passengers were ordered out of the vehicle and Roberts and his co-conspirators then entered the vehicle and drove away.
After a report was made to the police, Grant added, information received led to Roberts’ apprehension. He was subsequently positively identified by the complainants at an identification (ID) parade, the prosecutor added. The lawmen were, however, unable to apprehend the other persons implicated in the robbery.
Grant also said that the shell of the vehicle was later found abandoned aback South Ruimveldt.
The unrepresented Roberts, however, refuted the prosecutor’s claim that he had been placed on an ID parade. The man, who said he works as a mechanic, stressed also that he was innocent of the charges levelled against him and claimed that he had never before even seen the complainants.
“I never geh place on no ID parade and I never even see these people before in me life and I don’t know nothing bout no robbery,” Roberts exclaimed.
Grant objected to Roberts being granted bail, while noting that he had a pending firearm matter before the court, for which he was granted $100,000, but he remained imprisoned because of his inability to post the sum.
Grant explained that Roberts was arraigned earlier this month for the pending firearm charge. The gun was allegedly used in the East La Penitence robberies.
The prosecutor also said that the reason the robbery charges had only been instituted yesterday was due to the fact that advice was being sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The magistrate upheld the prosecutor’s objections and informed Roberts that he would be remanded to prison until November 17.
Meanwhile, Chung was charged with knowingly receiving the stolen vehicle’s engine.
Chung denied that on October 21, at Tucville, Georgetown, he received the engine, valued $400,000, knowing the item to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
The man’s attorney stressed that his client was innocent of the charge levelled against him. The attorney said Chung works as a mechanic and that the engine had been dropped-off at his mechanic shop to be repaired.
He added that his client had no previous nor pending matters.
Grant had no objections to bail, which was set at $100,000 by the Chief Magistrate. Chung was ordered to return to court on November 28 for the filing of statements.
