A Meadow Bank Wharf fishery worker was yesterday sentenced to five years in prison after he was found guilty of a gun-point robbery.
Othello Duncan was found guilty at the conclusion of a trial for the robbery of Haymant Harding of $316,000, which occurred on July 25, 2013.
Magistrate Judy Latchman, who presided over the trial at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, noted that the prosecution had discharged its burden of proof.
In handing down her ruling, the magistrate said that the prosecution was able to show that, at the time of the robbery, Duncan was indeed armed with a gun, which he used to instill fear in the complainant, who complied with his order to hand over the money.
The magistrate stressed that this act led to Duncan successfully appropriating the complainant’s money.
During the trial, defence counsel Melville Duke had questioned why his client was not placed on an identification (ID) parade and he contended that Duncan had been randomly picked-up by the police and slapped with the charge. Briefly reviewing Harding’s testimony, however, the court noted that there was no need for an ID parade since Duncan had been previously known to the complainant.
In determining the sentence, the court considered that a gun was used in the commission of the crime as well as the seriousness and prevalence of such offences and the need to deter potential offenders.
As a result, the father of two was informed by Magistrate Latchman that he was being imprisoned for 60 months.
Duke had begged the court to be merciful and for a chance to have his client pay monetary compensation in lieu of sentencing, while noting that he is the sole breadwinner of his household and that incarceration would be a severe blow to his family.
Duncan, of Lot 117 Cane Street, Meadow Bank, had managed to evade police for more than a year after the crime and was apprehended only days before his arraignment on November 13 last.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge and had been remanded up until his sentencing yesterday.
The police’s case is that on the day of the robbery, at about 10:30am, Duncan approached Harding and pointed a gun to his head demanding he hand over the cash.
The court had been told also that Duncan then ordered another man to use a knife to cut open the complainant’s pants pocket, after which the money fell out. Duncan then quickly scooped up the cash and made good his escape.
The case was successfully prosecuted by Police Inspector Shellon Daniels.
