TWO men were denied bail on a joint robbery charge, yesterday, in front of Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Twenty-five-year-old Kemp Benjamin and Alfred Beckles (no addresses given) both pleaded not guilty to having been together, on Saturday, June 29, in Croal Street, Georgetown, robbed Lakeraj Beharry of one Blackberry Torch phone worth $40,000 and $13,550 cash.
Police Corporal Renetta Bentham, prosecuting, told the Court the crime was committed around 22:00hrs when the victim and a friend were at Tabern Nightclub and Bar.
The prosecutor said Beharry was proceeding down the stairway of the two-storey building when Benjamin pushed his hands in his pocket and relieved him of the articles, then tried to escape.
But Beharry identified the robber to plain clothes ranks and, when he was searched, the sum of $2,360 was found in one of his pockets.
Benjamin related that he and his girl were in the nightclub among other people when a police officer separated the men from women and told everyone not to pass the stairway.
He said, the officer asked a man to point out who robbed him but he and his companion were walking downwards when the policeman, who followed them, accused him of being in the robbery and hit him in his face with a gun, causing his mouth to burst.
Benjamin complained that the officer warned him not to say anything or else he would do what he has to do.
On the prosecutor’s objection to their pre-trial liberty, the two defendants were sent on remand until July 11 and a summons was issued for Beharry, who was not present in Court.