A man, who is currently serving an 18-month sentence for one of two robbery-under-arms charges, last week changed his plea to guilty on the second charge.
Akeem Morris, 27, of ‘B’ Field Sophia, stood before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in Court 5 of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning. Magistrate McGusty reread the second charge to him which stated that on December 29 last, while in the company of others and armed with a cutlass, he robbed Diego Betancourt of a cell phone valued $25,000 and an undisclosed sum of cash. After the charge was read to him, Morris pleaded guilty.
When asked why he committed the act, Morris responded “Yuh worship I gah tek care of me self, so I had to do wuh I had to do. Right now I gah hernia and I gah a surgery fuh do and meen gah [money].”
The Magistrate decided to question Morris further and asked him what exactly happened on the day in question. Morris replied “Yuh worship, I had the cutlass and I relieved him [Betancourt] of his phone and he money and suh,” which elicited gasps of disbelief from those seated in the courtroom at the boldness of the prisoner’s statement.
Morris was jointly charged with Samuel Shepherd on two separate charges which allege that the two men robbed two Cuban nationals of their phones and cash before later being apprehended by police ranks. Morris had previously been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for the first charge.
The matter was adjourned and will reconvene on March 18.
