Forty-year-old Devon Holder, a Security Officer of Samaroo Dam, West Coast Demerara, appeared before magistrate Rhondel Weever at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with robbery.
It is alleged that on November 27, 2023, at Cornhill Street Stabroek he robbed Shania De Freitas of one gold chain valued $216,000 and one Samsung cellphone valued $95,000. It is also alleged that on the following day, November 28, 2023, while armed with a knife, he robbed Silwattie Sookhoo of one gold chain valued $80,000. Holder plead not guilty to both charges.
The prosecution told the magistrate that they were in possession of one of the victim’s statements which had a description, and that the other VC in the matter, Sookhoo, identified the accused. They also stated that the defendant caused harm to one of the victims during the course of the robbery. The prosecution presented the magistrate with a medical which detailed the injuries the victim received.
The defendant, in his defence, told the magistrate that he was being wrongfully accused and that on the day he was arrested the police showed up at his house, told him of the allegations and arrested him. He said he had no knowledge of the offences. Holder, who supervises six other security officers, told the magistrate that on the Monday [November, 27th] he made up his time sheets for the staff he was in charge of to take to the security’s firm main office in Georgetown after which he caught a boat and headed back to his post where he was until 7:30 pm after his ranks came to change shifts.
Holder explained to the Magistrate that during his time in custody, he had an altercation with the police, and said that on the Sunday while in custody at the Brickdam Police Station his belongings were taken away and he was denied a phone call. He said he was taken to an interview room where the police told him that he would be going away for a long time and assaulted him after he put up some resistance to signing a document.
The magistrate asked if the prosecution had a witness on file, however, they failed to produce such. Due to the lack of evidence by the prosecution and despite their objections to bail, the magistrate nevertheless granted Holder bail in the sum of $60,000 on each case totaling $120,000 bail with the condition that the defendant report to the police station every 2 weeks until the matter is complete. Failure to comply will result in his bail being revoked. The matter was adjourned to January 15 2023.
