Two serial robbers sent to prison for 14 and 10 years | THE DAILY HERALD

PHILIPSBURG–Two serial robbers received prison sentences of fourteen and ten years on Thursday. The Judge in the Court of First Instance found it legally and convincingly proven that they had committed a string of street robberies as well as in stores and in the homes of victims.

  Repeat offender Florentine Jerome (27), who was found guilty of involvement in 11 armed robberies, was sent to prison for 14 years. He will also have to repay the criminal proceeds obtained through these robberies, which were set by the Court at NAf. 1,675 and US $13,573.

  The Judge rejected the Prosecutor’s request to order the execution of a suspended sentence, as it could not be established that a probation period had been attached to the sentence.

  The Prosecutor’s Office had asked the Judge to sentence both suspects to 16 years in prison for a large number of armed robberies committed between February 2017 and January 2018.

  However, co-defendant Vernon Emmanuel Boyd (24) received 10 years. He was also ordered to pay back his criminal proceeds which were set at NAf. 1,675 and $19,438.

  Both men, who partially confessed to the alleged crimes, were suspects in the so-called “Fluoriet” investigation which stems from a cluster of separate investigations.

  Among the alleged crimes are the robbery at Beach Plaza Casino on February 13, 2017; the robbery at Leonard Enterprises in Madame Estate on January 8, 2018; and the attempted robbery at Popular Express supermarket on January 20, 2018.

  Other charges mentioned in the indictments include threat and extortion of two victims on December 14, 2017, and a case of home invasion on January 21, 2018. Both men were also in possession of illegal firearms between February 2017 and January 2018.

  The Court found both men guilty of a number of armed robberies during which they only had eyes for their own financial gain.

  In sentencing, the Judge took into account that Florentine had committed crimes of a similar nature before, whereas Boyd was considered a first offender. It was also taken into consideration that both men had “not been entirely sincere” during the hearing.

  The difficult circumstances under which prisoners are currently detained in the Pointe Blanche prison could not persuade the Judge to impose lesser sentences. A suspect who deliberately commits such serious offences accepts that he may be exposed to difficult circumstances during his detention, the Judge stated, adding that government should take its responsibility in creating and maintaining acceptable detention conditions, which should be given “high priority.”

  Only Boyd was charged with involvement in the robbery of Beach Plaza Casino. He confessed to having robbed the casino together with another person.

  “I threatened the cashier with a firearm and asked for money. We shared the loot,” he told the Judge. During the robbery $22,537 was taken.

  He also confessed to the attempted robbery at Popular Express. Boyd also was a suspect in the “Posbank” investigation into the shooting of Joceidy H. Grell on December 5, 2017.

  “I fired a shot at Joceidy Grell with a black handgun. I aimed at him and wanted to hurt him. He was about 60 feet away from me when I took the shot,” he told the Judge.

  The Prosecutor had requested that Boyd be convicted of assault with a weapon for risking serious injury, although his target was not hit by a bullet. The Prosecutor did not find attempted murder or manslaughter proven, and the Court found the defendant guilty of the attempt to inflict severe bodily injury. The Court imposed a lesser sentence because Boyd was acquitted of four counts in the indictment, which included the home invasion.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/83898-two-serial-robbers-sent-to-prison-for-14-and-10-years

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