ONE of the three persons accused of carrying out a brazen robbery attack on New Amsterdam businessman Nicholas Harrinandan, is claiming that he was at the businessman’s Tucber Park home not to rob him, but rather to collect payment for transporting “weed” for him.The revelation was made when the three accused in the break and enter of Harrinandan’s home appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus on Friday.

The trio is accused of robbing Harrinandan and his wife of two cellular phones and cash. The three accused – Brian Dhanphat, Troyden Trellis and Kevin Sandy-were not required to plead to the indictable charge which states that on Saturday, November 14 while being armed with dangerous weapons (a gun and cutlass), they robbed Nicholas Harrinandan of one Blackberry cellular phone valued at $50,000 and $250,000 cash and his wife Uwattie Harrinandan of one Samsung Galaxy mini S4 cellular phone valued at $580,000.
Police Prosecutor Sergeant Philip Sherriff told the court that Dhanphat was caught in the house and at the time had the Blackberry phone in his possession. He said the firearm was also found at Lot 22/23 Nurseville Housing Scheme, Tucber Park, New Amsterdam, where Nicholas Harrinandan lives.
Dhanphat, 25, of Smythfield, New Amsterdam, told the court that on the day in question, it was not a robbery. “Is drugs I traffic for the man. About 08:30 hrs, I get a call saying that he have five-pound weed to take to the back track.”
According to Dhanphat, when he went to Harrinandan, who is also a pastor, he was given the “weed” and a Blackberry cellular phone to use and promised $60,000 on completion of the mission but was paid only $30,000 upon his return.

“After I drop it off and go back to him, he only give me $30,000, so I tell he that is $60,000 we agree for an he end up raise up the chair cushion and pull out a gun and tell me that I should not move or go nowhere. After I see he [crank] the gun and put a cartridge inside, I charge he and we had a scuffle and all two ah we get marks of violence.”
Dhanphat displayed his 14 chop wounds to his head and face as his marks of violence, as well as both hands and legs wrapped in bandages. He said he later received medical attention at the New Amsterdam Hospital. “Two officers beat me to call the names of the other two accused. Me and this man is not no friend or nothing,” the accused added. He noted that he also has a break and enter charge before the court, which is set for hearing on December 1 in New Amsterdam.
Troyden Trellis, 20, a clothes vendor of Timmers Dam in Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, told the court that he was never around the robbery and didn’t know anything about the robbery. According to Trellis, he currently has a simple larceny charge before the court which comes up again on January 8. Kevin Sandy, 20, of Lot 58 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam and Diamond, East Bank Demerara also told the court that he was not around at the time of the robbery.
Sandy also had an arrest warrant for not attending court since July on possession of arms and ammunition charges. It is alleged that on March 15, without being the holder of a firearm licence, he had in his possession one .22 Beretta pistol and two matching rounds.
He was granted bail in the sum of $300,000 by
Justice Ian Chang in the High Court on both charges. Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus ordered that Sandy be remanded on both charges and the bail be returned to his mother. That matter will come up again on November 25, along with the Harrinandan robbery case.