A 20-year-old gold miner was yesterday sentenced to 58 months’ imprisonment by Magistrate Judy Latchman on a robbery under arms charge.Niko Layne of Lot 59 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown was found guilty of the offence following a trial. The facts of the case state that on May 6 at West Ruimveldt while being armed with a gun, Layne robbed Shafiek Mohamed of one Digicel Smartphone valued $39,300 and cash ($26,000).
Layne was unrepresented by counsel and the matter was prosecuted by Police Corporal Keri Boswick.
The Court heard that Layne, along with another person, boarded a taxi along Parade Street in Kingston. The accused entered the backseat while the other man sat in the passenger seat and they asked to be dropped off in West Ruimveldt. Upon arrival at their destination, Layne ‘viced’ Mohamed from behind and relieved him of his valuables.
Magistrate Latchman took into consideration all mitigating factors and informed the court of her guilty ruling. She also emphasised that based on the prevalence of the offence, she would impose the sentence on the defendant.