Suspects accused of taking $8K + in WestStar robbery

(CNS): After weeks of legal arguments between the crown and defence, the four men accused of robbing the local cable company’s offices in an armed stick-up in May 2012 went on trial this week before visiting judge, Justice Alastair Malcolm. Andre Burton, David Tamassa, George Mignot and Ryan Edwards are all alleged to have entered the offices of WestStar TV in the middle of the day on 24 May, armed and disguised, and to have made off with $8,269.36. The crown is relying on Marlon Dillon, its key witness in the case, after he pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods from the proceeds of the robbery and admitted his involvement and knowledge of the heist. Edwards has also pleaded guilty on one of the charges relating to the crime.

The crown’s case against the men depends heavily on the evidence of Dillon, who has been termed a 'robber with a conscience'. He claims that when he had returned to the island after a trip to Jamaica, he was contacted by Tamassa and Mignot for an urgent meeting. Dillon has said that when he arrived at Tamassa's residence, the men were discussing a robbery but he did not want to be involved. However, Dillon admits to offering to give the men a ride to School House Road close to the TV station offices.

It is alleged that it was Clarke, however, who was the driver of the Red RVR motorcar, which prosecutors said the robbers used to get to the scene in George Town. In turn, it was Edwards who was to be the switch driver for the getaway in a white panel van. The prosecution also said on Tuesday, as the case opened against the men, that it was Mignot, Burton and Tamassa who went into the offices with a handgun and directed the customers to lay on the floor before they took the money from the cashiers.

The four men have all denied being part of the armed hold-up and claim Dillon's evidence is inconsistent, as the witness gave different accounts to the police about the lead up to the robbery. The defence submits that the crown’s case was built on Dillon’s incorrect evidence, which does not tally with the later confession from Ryan Edwards but which falsely identifies the accused men. While Edwards admits that he had some involvement and knowledge of the robbery, he has stated that his co-conspirators were not the men who sit with him in the prisoners' dock. He claims that his accomplices are two Jamaican men who escaped by canoe after the hold up.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions TrevorWard, QC, the lead crown counsel on the case, told the court that Dillon's account must be accurate and true because of the many details he revealed relating to the robbery. The crown contends that Dillon could not have known these details without being involved or at least being told by one of the men who committed the offense. Ward also submitted that DNA evidence along with telephone analysis and government CCTV footage would support the credibility of Dillon's evidence.

The case continues this week in Grand Court 1.