THE female suspect who was arrested in connection with the armed robbery committed at the home of People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General-Secretary and parliamentarian, Clement Rohee, was on Thursday charged with two counts of robbery under arms.The accused, Corlette Parks, 49 years, of 4692 Postal Housing Scheme, Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Lambert at the Providence Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to both charges. She was remanded to prison until January 11, 2017. This newspaper had reported that Parks’s National Identification Card (ID) was found in the vehicle which was reportedly used to execute the robbery at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, on November 9.
The car, PRR 514, was found on Wednesday abandoned on Croal Street, Georgetown. The vehicle owner reportedly told police that he had rented the car to the woman, but she returned the vehicle an hour later, alleging that it had developed mechanical problems. However, the owner noted that the car appeared to be in good condition when he checked it.
Police later discovered that the woman had used a fictitious name and address to rent the vehicle. Three men, armed with guns and a knife, carted off an undisclosed sum of cash and jewellery from the former minister’s home. Rohee had told reporters that he left his two maids at home at about 09:30hrs, and was later informed that bandits had invaded the property. According to the politician, the grilled back door was left open, facilitating entry to the home for the bandits.
The unrepresented woman pleaded not guilty to the charges which alleged that on Wednesday, November 11 at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, while being in the company of others armed with a gun stole a quantity of jewellery and cash totalling over $400,000, property of the parliamentarian. Magistrate Lambert remanded the woman until January 11 after the police prosecutor strongly objected to the woman being granted her pre-trial liberty.
Investigators had reportedly lifted a number of fingerprints from the car, one of which matched Parks’s. On the day of the robbery around 09:30hrs three men, armed with guns and a knife carried out the home invasion and robbery at the former minister’s residence.