A South Turkeyen miner was yesterday charged with a knifepoint robbery after police say they traced a stolen phone to his girlfriend.
Damian Robertson, of 266 D 7th Field, South Turkeyen, was accused of robbing Andrew De Nobrega of a Samsung Galaxy Note phone valued $85,000 on February 27 at Bel Air Park. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to prosecutor Deniro Jones, De Nobrega was walking in the vicinity of Bel Air Park when Robertson approached him, held him at knifepoint and demanded his valuables.
A report to the police later led to the phone being traced to Robertson’s girlfriend, who had initially been arrested.
Robertson’s attorney told the court that her client had one pending matter before the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court for a traffic offence and has ceased mining in the interior to report regularly for that matter. Therefore, she argued, Robertson was not a flight risk and she requested that he be granted reasonable bail. However, the request was objected to by the prosecution, who cited the gravity of the charge and the penalty it attracts.
After considering submissions from both sides, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan set Robertson bail in the sum of $150,000. The matter has been adjourned to December 11 for statements.
