Andrew Ridley walked out of a city courtroom with a brilliant smile yesterday after he was found not guilty of two charges of armed robbery.
But Ridley, who was adamant about his innocence, remains a prisoner since he is currently on remand for other charges.
Prosecutor Renetta Bentham told the court that the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Ridley, on December 22, 2014, robbed Tessa Waterman and Curtis John while being armed with a gun.
When Magistrate Judy Latchman asked Ridley whether he had anything to say, he repeatedly declared his innocence and requested that a fellow inmate be brought before the court to testify. After a short recess, the other shackled prisoner was brought in to testify.
In his testimony, the witness supported the claims of Ridley, who had earlier told the court that he was placed on an identification (ID) parade which was unfair.
The witness, who said he was part of the ID parade, testified that Ridley should not have been placed on the parade with him since persons in an ID parade should be similar in appearance. Ridley was far more “slim-built” than him, he said.
During cross-examination, the witness also dismissed the suggestions of the prosecutor that his testimony was a concoction with Ridley to help each other out since the defendant also indicated his interest to give testimony in relation to the witness’s case.
Ridley had earlier stated that he was abruptly placed on the parade without being informed by the police and that he was wrongfully arrested.
He later chose to stand in the prisoner’s dock and give an unsworn statement. “I have no knowledge of what I was charged for…the police arrest me and then they place me on a ID parade and them didn’t even enlighten me,” Ridley told the court.
But the magistrate stated that after considering all the evidence, including the testimony of John, who said that he did not see the attacker, the court was uncertain if the defendant indeed committed the offence and found him not guilty. The charges were then dismissed.
