A Bourda man is now a remanded prisoner after he appeared before a city court yesterday to face a robbery charge for the second time in three months
Carl Hilliman, 27, was read a charge that stated that he, together with others, robbed Special Lance Corporal Larry Josiah of two cellphones, valued $53,000, at d’Urban Street.
This is the second charge of this nature that Hilliman has been slapped with as he, in November, was charged with two others, Troy Smartt and Kevin Cumberbatch, with robbing Troy Fields of a $20,000 cellphone. That case was subsequently dismissed as Fields chose not to pursue the matter as the item had been recovered.
Prosecutor Deniro Jones objected to bail, stating that the victim was at work at around 2.30am when the suspect and others approached and threatened to shoot him. He said they then sprayed mace in his eyes and relieved him of the items. Hilliman was later seen at Demico where he was positively identified by Josiah.
Hilliman was emotional yesterday as he denied the charge, while stating that he did not fit the description of the perpetrators as they were all short and he is tall. He also noted that mace was used in the attack, making identification difficult.
Hilliman began pleading with the magistrate, saying “I telling you from me heart, I swear on me water baby life.” The accused went so far as to ask whether there were any CCTV cameras around the location of the alleged robbery, to prove to the court that he was nowhere around at the time the incident occurred.
His pleas, however, fell on deaf ears, as he was ordered to be remanded by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, until the next hearing of the matter on February 29, in Court 11.
