A housewife and four teenage boys, who are accused of being carjackers, were yesterday charged with armed robbery.
Rosanne Gittens, Mario Rodrigues, Ronaldo McKenzie, Daniel Boutrin and Christopher Nicholson all appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to charges of armed robbery. The city magistrate was told that Gittens was used to lure unsuspecting drivers and her accomplices would later rob them.
It is alleged that on August 25th, at Main Street, the five accused unlawfully and maliciously damaged a car belonging to Troy Aaron. The vehicle is said to be valued at $1,000,000.
On that same day, they are accused of robbing Dwayne Peters of his car, a cellphone, and cash, all carrying a total value of $1,038,000.
Additionally, on August 26th, it is alleged, they robbed Hazelyn Edwards of a car belonging to Genevieve Williamson, a cellphone and two licences. The total value of those articles was given as $809,000.
Gittens, 35, and the teens, three of whom are 17 and the other 18, and who all belong to the Tucville and Guyhoc Park areas, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Their attorney, Paul Fung-A-Fat, pleaded with the court for reasonable bail, while claiming that the three charges against his clients all stem from one incident.
Case prosecutor Deniro Jones objected to Fung-A-Fat’s application for bail and cited the gravity of the charges and the penalty they attract. Jones added that the defendants have charges pending against them at the Sparendaam and Turkeyen Police stations. Furthermore, one of the accused, Boutrin, also has an outstanding arrest warrant for a wounding charge, he said.
Jones told the court that the defendants are gang members who use their female accomplice to lure drivers.
Jones said Gittens would hire a car and on arrival at her destination her accomplices would carry out the robbery. The prosecutor reported that on the day the suspects were apprehended, police had received information about a hijacking. When the accused saw the police approaching the scene, they lit the car on fire, he added.
Fung-A-Fat told the court that Gittens, who is a mother of seven, is a housewife. McKenzie, he said, is an employee of Prittipaul Singh Investments, while Boutrin recently attended the Lodge Secondary School and Rodrigues is currently a student of South Ruimveldt Secondary. No details were given for Nicholson.
Magistrate McLennan eventually remanded the five to prison until September 5th, when the matter is to be heard by Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
