Clumsy cash bag robbery attempt lands man in jail

| 16/03/2012

court house.JPG(CNS): A 41 year old man was jailed for nine-months on Friday after pleading guilty to what the judge described as a “hopeless and clumsy” attempt to rob a security guard of a cash bag outside a supermarket in Savannah last December. Calmore Range was handed the custodial sentence by Justice Charles Quin after a sentencing hearing when the judge heard that prior to his bungled robbery attempt Range who is originally from Venezuela had received bad news from home about family health problems and had also been drinking.

Range who has Caymanian status, had until this unplanned and opportunist attempt at getting money no criminal record. Since his arrest at the airport a few days after the robbery attempt Range has admitted his culpability and shown remorsefor what he himself described as a stupid attempt to get the money. No weapons were used during the spontaneous foiled robbery, it was not planned and as soon as the guard punched Range and put up a struggle he ran off into the bushes.

Justice Quin said that it appeared to be combination of the alcohol and his emotional state after receiving the news about the health of his family members overseas that caused the defendant to make such a clumsy attempt that was bound to fail. He said things had combined to compel the defendant to think he could gain instant wealth by grabbing the cash bag from the guard.

According to a social enquiry report the defendant was described as having a low risk of reoffending but the judge said it was still an unnecessary and alarming attack for the guard, despite that Range was not armed he was forced to hand down a custodial sentence, Justice Quin added.

The judge found that a twelve months would be appropriate but discounted that to nine months for the defendant’s guilty plea and order time served to be taken into consideration.

The foiled robbery took place outside Foster’s at the Countryside Shopping Village at around 7:30pm on 2 December. Range saw the security guard coming out of the supermarket door, heading for his armoured truck with a cash bag in his hand. On seeing the bag Range had grasped at it but was punched by the guard. A tussle ensued between the man as Range tried in vain to get the bag from the guard before he let go and ran into the bushes causing the guard to fall to the ground.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I think anyone who has "gained" Caymanian status rather than being born here, should serve their time and then be removed (deported) from Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      …the Law pretty much says that too. We sink not because of our Laws, but rather, because of our Laws that we do not enforce.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Ah, the old dilemma. A foreign national with Caymanian status now sits in Northward. Not only is he a thief but he has a propensity for violence. Statistically he will be described only as a Caymanian prisoner. Caymanians will consider him to be a Venezuelan prisoner. No one will take steps to revoke his status. No one will analyze where and how the systems failed in order for him to get that status. No one will take steps to send him back.

    We need better protection than this from our immigration authorities.

    • Anonymous says:

      Just like today’s Compass which reports that the prison service employs 80 Caymanians and only 35 Jamaicans. I wonder what the answer would be to “of the 80 Caymanians employed by the prison service, how many are Jamaicans?” That is what the inspectors were probably getting at. This is not a question of what immigration permission officers have. It is one of what culture dominates!

  3. Fairplay says:

    I am of the view that 9 months is too short a sentence for such a serious crime!

    Criminals will always be able to give a justification as to why they commit crimes – are we going to listen to all "sad stories" and let them off lightly?

    When the Police are able to solve a crime, oftentimes I feel as a traditional conservative Caymanian, that the courts let us down. The day will come when the Cayman Islands will not have to worry about niceties of being considerate to criminals because we must respect their so-called "human rights". In the meantime, the crime stats tarnishes the Islands reputation!! 

    • Anonymous says:

      This low sentence is sending a very bad message at a time that Robberies (and attempted) are so high!!!!!  Lord help us pls!!!!

  4. Anonymous says:

    Only nine months? He has family problems and received bad news? Who does not have problems and has bad news sometimes? Where is the example we want to set fro those who do not obey the law?

    I am sorry to say it, nine months will not be a deterrent to him or others on their quest for easy money.

  5. 2 Soft says:

    Years not months for this type of thing please.  Bad news, drink too much?  We all get bad news, we don't go and steal.  There is only one reason to steal.  Greed.

  6. v.V.v says:

    9 months?!?!? Crime really does pay in the Cayman Islands