Teen admits robbing BT grocery store

| 25/11/2013

(CNS): A sixteen year old boy has admitted holding up a grocery storein Bodden Town with a flare gun and assaulting an elderly customer who tried to stop him. The teenager, who was only 15 when he stole over $900 from the Lookout Store, cannot be named because of his age. The court heard Friday during a sentencing hearing before Justice Charles Quin that the young man, who is still only sixteen, already has a list of previous offences in the youth court. His attorney pointed to what he described as “some very disturbing history” regarding the young man’s upbringing. The teenager, whose father has also been in jail, will be looking at a custodial sentence despite his age, early admission and remorse.

After the circumstances of his crime were revealed, the teen told the judge on Friday that he wanted a chance to learn a trade and try to improve his life.

Crown counsel told the court that the teen had entered the store on Anton Bodden Drive with the imitation firearm on 28 May this year in the afternoon wearing a black face mask and gloves. He then pointed the weapon at the staff and customers, repeatedly shouting, “Give me the f*%@ing money!”

Witnesses described the young man as “extremely agitated and erratic”. When one elderly customer attempted to confront the masked and armed teen, he pushed and kicked the man, who fell to the ground.

After he was given money by staff, he fled the store on a bicycle but he was followed by two witnesses who alerted the police. The teen was arrested a short time later at a condo complex nearby. After being charged, the teen admitted the offence and pleaded guilty.

With the crown pointing to a number of aggravating circumstances in the case, including the planning, the disguise, the weapons and the aggression, the teen’s defence attorney could offer little in mitigation other than the young man’s cooperation with the authorities and his desire to turn over a new leaf.

Having heard the submissions from both attorneys, the judge said he would hand down the sentence early in December, before remanding the teenager in custody.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Category: Crime

About the Author ()

Comments (11)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. anonymous says:

    What nationality is he?

    • Anonymous says:

      He is a Caymanian, who unforturnately was raised under unfavourable living and housing circumstances.  If CFS was doing home checks, they like the general public would have seen the dire need to have him and the other children removed from the unsafe environment.  Life for some is difficult when it is allowed to happen by the people who are paid to investigate. 

      • Anonymous says:

        from the way you wrote this i can tell who you are, what you need to do is get a life

    • Anonymous says:

      I'll bet you are not asking about the nationalities of those involved in the LC robbery. I wonder why?

  2. Anonymous says:

    Must be a Jamaican or a Filipino or an English kid or a Canadian or Indian one. Could never be a Caymanian according to those posters who constantly tell us it's the non Caymanians who are messing up our country.

    • Anonymous says:

      Funny how you only make nationality points when you know the culprit is a Caymanian. Feeding the myth that all crimes are committed by Caymanians.

    • Anonymously says:

      Please check his background and you will find all you need to known including which nationality he is a descendant of. If you want to make this a race issue the court should begin to print a copy of the birth certificate of every one convicted of a crime in Cayman and then we would really get the true picture of who the real criminals are and where their mama and papa from. Then there will be no blame game we will all know then who u fa and where you come from.

  3. Anonymous says:

    "The teenager, whose father has also been in jail…"

    Pretty much says it all right there, doesn't it?  If this kid never commits another crime in his life, I'll eat my hat.  

  4. Anonymous says:

    He is a muliple offender and if the first or second offence did not deter him from the life of crime he needs to be locked up. It is a shame that he chose this route in life, but he needs to learn that there is no golden bridge of forgiveness for serious crimes. 

  5. Anonymous says:

    There lies our social problems.  Children who have parents and are left to roam up and down, do not attend school and  are committing crimes everywhere.  I feel sorry for theses children but CFS needs to dwell into the families they are assisting, whereby gaining more knowledge and understanding as to what is happening in the homes.  

    There are instances where young children are used to commit crimes for older persons.  The police are not smart enough to play their part in such instances and the crime goes unsolved.  The residence are aware of what's taking place but hesitate to waste their time relating incidents when they happen.

    I hope and pray this youngman has learnt a lesson and will be able to turn his life around.

    • Anonymous says:

      As for your last sentence, I hope he is locked up for a long time so someone else does not have to suffer for the usually vain hope of redemption.