A regretful 22-year-old armed robbery accused was on Wednesday sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by Georgetown Magistrate Faith McGusty after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
The charge against Shawn Bascom detailed that on June 9, 2019, at Falls Gas Station at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, while being in the company of another person, he robbed Zheng Teng Fei of $500,000 cash, property of Chen Yeng.
Police Prosecutor Ceon Blackman told the court that on the day in question, the victim, a supervisor at the service station, had exited the establishment with the bag containing the money, and was proceeding to the pumps when he was approached by Bascom and another person. He was choked and relieved of the bag before his assailants made good their escape.
The Prosecutor added that Bascom was subsequently apprehended and handed over to the Police. Upon his arrest, Bascom told ranks at the station, “No risk, no reward”.
Given opportunity to speak, Bascom told the court, “Two weeks now I ain’t finding no work. Me soldier seh he gon link me with a work, so we meet up the night…I was high, frustrated, and I just needed some cash; so I went and grab the money from a Chiney man”.
Bascom added that it was his accomplice who had snatched away the bag, but he was the one who had been beaten and handed over to the Police.
In tears, he told the court that he did not mean to hurt anyone, and that he now just wanted to go see his four-year-old daughter for Father’s Day.
The remorseful man continued, “I wasn’t in my right mind because I was under the influence. I won’t do it again”.
Before sentencing Bascom, Magistrate McGusty told him, “He who takes the benefit must also take the burden”.
