A 20-year-old miner, who allegedly robbed motor racer Kristian Jeffrey and two others of articles totalling $1.4 million in separate incidents, was yesterday remanded to prison after he answered to three armed robbery offences.
Shamar Charles appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court Five.
The first charge alleges that on May 26th at the Agricola Public Road, East Bank Demerara, while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, Charles robbed Jeffrey of a gold chain valued $400,000, a wallet valued $10,000 and $15,000 in cash.
Another charge alleged that on May 26th at Agricola, while being armed with a gun, Charles robbed Jermaine Inniss of a gold chain valued $440,000.
The final charge alleged that on July 10th at Lombard Street, Georgetown, in the company of another and armed with a gun, Charles robbed Tessa Prophett of a phone valued $135,000, a gold band valued $100,000 and a gold chain valued $300,000.
Charles denied all three charges after which Prosecutor Seon Blackman objected to bail citing the prevalence of the offences, the punishment the offences attracts, the serious nature of the offences and the fact that a gun was used. He also mentioned that Charles was charged with several counts of armed robbery last year.
In relation to Prophett, Blackman said that about midday on the day in question, the woman was standing outside her workplace when two men on a motorcycle approached and held her at gunpoint. They subsequently relieved her of the articles mentioned and escaped. The matter was reported to the police after which an investigation was conducted. Prophett later positively identified Charles via an identification parade.
Charles was subsequently remanded to prison and will have to return to court on July 31st.
Jeffrey, in a statement to the media hours after he was robbed, had said that he was attacked while walking with a friend along the public road after the Buju Banton ‘I am Legend’ concert.
During the incident, he was shot in his right ear and was rushed to the Balwant Singh Hospital where he was treated.
Jeffrey had explained in the statement that he and a friend had called a taxi to pick them up at the National Stadium at Providence but due to the heavy traffic and congestion, the taxi “took a while to come.”
As a result, Jeffrey had said, they decided to walk along the East Bank highway to meet the car and after they reached Agricola, “we were accosted by individuals with guns who proceeded to rob us of our possessions, including jewellery, phone, and wallet.”
