NICO Layne, currently serving a 58-month sentence for armed robbery, was yesterday sentenced to one year and three months’ imprisonment by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, after she found him guilty of a similar offence.Layne, of 59 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was convicted of committing a knife-point robbery on Ivelaw Hartman, during which he relieved Hartman of his cell phone and $19,000 cash, all totalling $30,400.

Yesterday, during summing up of the evidence, the Magistrate told the court that she had considered the evidence led by witnesses for the prosecution, led by Police Inspector Neville Jeffers. According to the magistrate, Layne had told the court that he could not recall where he was on the day in question, and that he did not rob anyone.

Magistrate McLennan said she disbelieved Layne’s story, and that he had premeditated and planned the robbery. She took into consideration the time the convict had spent on remand pending trial before imposing the prison term.

Layne’s new prison sentence will run concurrently with the sentence he is now serving.

Layne was, last November, convicted by City Magistrate Judy Latchman after he had been found guilty of robbing at gunpoint taxi driver Shafeik Mohamed of his Digicel phone valued $39,000 and cash worth $26,000 on May 6.

Court facts reveal that on the day in question, at about 17:05hrs, Mohamed was driving along Parade Street, Kingston when he was stopped by Layne and another man, who inquired whether he was working and subsequently boarded the vehicle.
Layne sat in the back seat while his accomplice sat in the front passenger’s seat as they requested that Mohamed take them to a certain location. On arrival at the location, Layne and his partner pointed a knife and gun at the taxi driver and demanded that he hand over his valuables. They then made their escape.

A report was made at the East La Penitence Police Station, and investigations carried out led to Layne’s arrest.