Courier cleared in gold theft

(CNS): A former Fedex courier was acquitted by a jury, Thursday, of charges relating to the theft of more than $30,000 of gold from packages destined for US refineries which had been sent by the local pawn shop Cash Wiz. Although Evon Robinson had at first confessed to managers at Cash-Wiz that he had taken the gold he later claimed he was coerced into the admission in an effort to save his job. During the trial Robinson’s defence attorney raised enough doubt that his client had not taken the items of gold jewellery entrusted to him in Fedex boxes when he showed others had access to the packages and could have been responsible for the missing pieces.

James Stenning, of Stenning and Associates argued that along with a number of other potential suspects, including other couriers and the packers, his client did not sign all of the relevant weigh-bills and paperwork, that the weights in the packages were not always exactly recorded and the confession itself, which was supposedly recorded on a mobile phone, was edited and was wholly unreliable.

Fedex had also revealed that many of the packages coming and going from Grand Cayman were frequently light or had items missing.

The jury spent more than a day deliberating before they returned the verdicts of not guilty to three charges – one count of theft between 2011 and 2012 and two counts of transferring criminal property, as the crown had claimed that Robinson stole the money from the Cash Wiz packages and then pawned it to another local pawn shop – Cash for Gold.

However, Robinson, when he took the stand said that he had sold his own gold and that of a friend to that pawn shop and he had not taken anything from Cash Wiz when he worked as the courier dealing with the store's Fedex account. During the alleged confession he said that he had told the Cash Wiz managers that he would make up the missing gold in exchange for them not saying anything to his managers. As a result he said he collected as much of his own gold and that of his friends' as he could, to try and keep his job.

As the fore-woman of the jury delivered the verdict, Robinson literally leapt for joy, hugging his defence team and court staff the former courier was clearly emotional and delighted over his acquittal.

Justice Malcolm Swift thanked the jury for their close attention and careful consideration and pointed out that aside from the defendant who was really grateful for their sacrifice the courts and the community were grateful to them as well.