| A teenager accused of brandishing a broken bottle during a carjacking and relieving two city taxi drivers of their possessions appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer charges for robbery.The 17-year-old accused, Lorenzo Forde, on Friday, appeared before the Chief Magistrate who transferred the matter to Magistrate Judy Latchman. The charges were Robbery with Violence and Robbery under Arms.Forde, on December 26, last, while armed with a broken bottle on High Street, Kingston, Georgetown allegedly relieved Mervin Benjamin of his $2M Toyota Fielder motor car as well as his $10,000 Ice Mobile cellular phone and cash $8,000.Also, he and a 16-year-old accomplice, who is a resident of Lot 27 D’Urban Street, Lodge were jointly charged for Robbery with Violence. This case involved the theft of a $1.5M Toyota Carina at Kingston, Georgetown on December 30, last where they used violence to rob Elijah Adams of Colin Stewart’s car PKK2531.Police Inspector Joel Ricknauth objected to them being granted bail because of the serious nature and prevalence of the crimes.As it relates to the theft of the $2M Toyota Fielder, Ricknauth explained that about 21:45 hours on December 26 (Boxing Day), the victim was operating his car as hire when Forde and three others stopped him in the vicinity of the Cenotaph on Main Street and requested that he transport them to the Kingston Seawalls.Benjamin agreed and Forde allegedly entered the front seat of the car whilst his friends seated themselves in the back.The Prosecution recounted that as they were along High Street, in the vicinity of the Umana Yana, they began to hit the driver and used the broken glass bottle to try to stab him in the abdomen and other parts of his body.They relieved him of his cash and the cellular phone moments before they tossed him out his car and drove away, Ricknauth said.The Prosecution stated that acting on ‘tip,’ Forde was later apprehended and an Identification (ID) Parade was conducted during which the 17-year-old was positively identified by the victim as one of the youths who robbed him on Boxing Night.On December 30, Forde and his 16-year-old accomplice robbed another taxi driver. The driver Elijah Adams,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, picked up four passengers who solicited his services claiming that they were venturing to the Pegasus Hotel located on Main Street, Kingston.However, when the ‘passengers’ arrived at their ‘destination,’ they attacked the taxi driver and rendered him unconscious.Inspector Ricknauth explained that when the victim regained consciousness, the car was stolen and he was later taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).Likewise, “ID Parade was held where the two suspects were placed among 12 others of similar description but the two were positively identified by the victim as two of the four that assaulted and robbed him of his car,” the Prosecution stated.Additionally, Ricknauth told the court that Benjamin’s car was recovered (no date given) and specified that the other car was later recovered by police ranks on January 29, some four days ago.When the charges were read to the youngsters they pleaded not guilty and submitted a bail application through Defence Attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat who stated that their case was one of mistaken identity.Notwithstanding his application, the youth and Forde of Lot 4 Drysdale Street, Charlestown, were remanded to custody until their next court hearing which is scheduled for February 12. |
