A PRIMA FACIE case was on Monday made out against East Ruimveldt, Georgetown residents Tambico McKenzie, 29, and William Evans, 24, for armed robbery following months of trial in Court Three of the Georgetown Magistrates Courts.They were each asked by Magistrate Judy Latchman to lead a defence after she ruled that the prosecution had made out a solid case against them.
The two men were charged with robbing Merissa Winter of an iPhone, a gold chain, a gold-and-diamond ring, and three gold bands, all totalling $370,000, on February 9, 2015 at Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt Park, whilst being armed with a knife.
They vehemently denied the accusation, but the police have maintained that three gold bands were found on McKenzie while the other items were recovered from Evans.
After Winter was robbed, she pursued the men in her car and ran them down. That action led to their arrest.
At yesterday’s trial, McKenzie, leading his defence, stepped into the witness box and gave sworn evidence. The former surveyor at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) kept protesting his innocence. “I have no knowledge of this robbery because I was never around,” he told the court.
According to McKenzie, on the day mentioned on the charge, he was standing in front of Cevon’s Waste Management business on Aubrey Barker Road awaiting a minibus when an unknown car had pulled up beside him and armed policemen exited, yelling: “Yuh is a suspect fuh an armed robbery!”
“I asked them what robbery they talking about,” McKenzie said, as he explained that the officers conducted a search on his person and confiscated his cell phone, $40 Euros, Gy$1,340 and 10 grammes of marijuana.
McKenzie admitted to the court that he behaved “lil arrogant”, resulting in the ranks kicking him in his face and throwing him into the car trunk.
“They carry me through the street to a police van, where I saw Williams; then I was placed into the van and carried to the East La Penitence Police Station,” he detailed.
Whilst in the witness box, the defendant stressed that this was the first time he had seen the co-accused, and he said he became familiar with Williams whilst they were in custody together.
McKenzie also pointed out that the police had brutalized him during the course of his arrest, and he said he is currently serving a sentence for the weed found on his person.
Co-accused Evans did not get to lead his evidence, as the matter was adjourned to May 12, when he would be called to the witness stand.
