A FORMER employee of Cevon’s Waste Management was yesterday sentenced to 48 months imprisonment on a charge of robbery under arms . 

Seron Skeete, 33, of Broad Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, was found guilty as charged for the offence by Magistrate Judy Latchman.
Details of the charge said that on August 23 at Saffon Street, Georgetown, being armed with a knife, he robbed Nandkumarie Maraj of one Nokia cellular phone, one handbag and one kitchen bowl, together valued $7,500.
The matter was first called before Magistrate Latchman on August 27 and Skeete was denied a pretrial liberty.

The prosecution stated that on the day in question, the virtual complainant (VC) and her family were trying to get their mini-bus started. She then borrowed a knife from the defendant who was nearby to cut a bottle and make a funnel to pour gas into the fuel compartment of the bus.

The knife was returned to the convict who was near the bus and sometime later Skeete pushed his hand in the bus and took the victim’s lunch bag, which contained the articles mentioned in the charge. It was around 18:00 hrs, when the VC asked him to return the bag and he pushed the knife in front of her; she became fearful for life and left him alone.

Subsequently, the VC saw the police on patrol and quickly reported the matter after Skeete had made good his escape. He was however pointed out by the VC to the police patrol and was arrested with the articles in his possession.

In his defence, Skeete,who was unrepresented by counsel, elected to give an unsworn statement and declined to call any witness on his behalf. In his oral statement, he denied committing the offence; he said he had gone to a shop to purchase several items, when the police vehicle came up and a lady accused him of robbing her.

The convicted man had been working with Cevon’s Waste Management for over three years. Magistrate Latchman before passing sentence took into consideration mitigating factors such as the convict’s age; that he did not have any prior or pending matters and is the father of three minors .