The sight of her 16-year-old son being led away in handcuffs and shackles was too much for a mother to bear.
While in the courtyard of the District “A” Magistrates’ Court, the wailing mother fainted and had to be held up by family members as she witnessed Ajari Anthony Brathwaite being led away to the waiting prison bus by prison officers.
The teenager, of Hillbury Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael, along with 23-year-old Adrian Romario Mottley, of No. 13 Water Mill Place, Bayville, St Michael, were remanded to HMP Dodds by Magistrate Douglas Frederick yesterday after appearing in court on ten charges.
The duo was charged with last week’s robbery which occurred in Brittons Hill, St Michael at the shop of David Benn.
They were charged with assaulting Benn with intent to rob him on Sunday.
Additionally, they are charged with robbing Emon Layne of a $300 firearm, $50 wallet, Cave Shepherd Visa card, BARP card, a firearm licence, six rounds of ammunition and 65 tickets; robbing Kenrick Gibson of a $650 cell phone and stealing a bag valued $70, a $400 cell phone and a $1 500 ring, a $10 tin of spam, two tins of sausages, $70 in cash and 50 tickets belonging to Eglah Benn.
They are also charged with robbing Ruben Guiste of an $800 bracelet and $60 cash on November 27, 2017, and robbing Antonio Perch on December 10, 2017 of a $600 cell phone, two bangles valued $400, a watch worth $120, a bag valued $120, a pair of $400 sneakers, $600, a wallet worth $120 and three bottles of whisky worth $480.
Brathwaite and Mottley were also charged with robbing Michael Mahon of a $750 cell phone; Kerry-Ann Harri of a $1 200 cell phone; Walton Burrowes of a cell phone valued $2 500 and Roxanne Jones of $800 on December 3.
They were not required to plead to the indictable charges, as police prosecutor Station Sergeant Neville Reid pointed out that a firearm was allegedly used in the robberies.
Reid objected to bail for both men on the grounds of the serious nature of the matters, a firearm was used in the commission of all the offences and that a firearm was also stolen. He said police were also still continuing their investigations and another person was being sought. He pointed out that police were also trying to recover the firearms.
Reid also argued that if the two men were granted bail they might impede investigations. Furthermore, he revealed that Mottley was already on bail.
Marlon Gordon, who appeared on behalf of Brathwaite along with Harry Husbands, contended that his client was not charged under the Firearms Act and that the serious nature and the fact that investigations were continuing were not enough to deprive him of his freedom.
He also pointed to Brathwaite’s age, and the fact that he had no other cases before the court.
In her bail application, attorney-at-law Sian Lange, who represented Mottley, said her client was gainfully employed and the father of three.
She said that if he was remanded he would be in peril of losing his job and putting his family at financial risk.
After listening to the submissions, Magistrate Frederick remanded the two men, saying: “These are serious charges and we need to give the police some time to carry out their investigations. There is also an allegation that a firearm was stolen. Societal interest trumps the individual interest in these circumstances,” he said before remanding the two until January 18. (RB)
