Homeless teen remanded on armed robbery charge

Nineteen-year-old Kevin Charles appeared before Chief Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Friday on a charge of armed robbery.
Police stated that on November 30, 2024, Charles in the company of other persons at Water Street Georgetown robbed Davindra Singh of a Samsung phone and a black wallet containing $10,000 cash.
Charles pleaded guilty with explanation, admitting he committed the robbery under the influence of alcohol. Initially, he claimed he acted alone but later acknowledged having an accomplice.
He later revealed that his accomplice was Dominique Eastman of Sophia, Georgetown. He confessed to using a knife during the robbery, stating he grabbed the victim by his jersey while his partner retrieved the wallet.

Charles told the Magistrate that while the victim’s belongings were returned, the cash was not. The victim claimed there was $10,000 in the wallet, but Charles countered, saying it was only $6,000 and that he had spent it.
The teen revealed that he has been living on the streets since the age of 14, with no family to support him. He further explained that his mother is an alcoholic, and his elderly father is bedridden.
Due to the nature of the charge and the absence of a fixed address, the Magistrate remanded Charles to prison until January 3, 2025. A probation officer’s report was ordered, but delays are expected due to the holiday season.
Charles is no stranger to the law. In February of this year, he and his alleged accomplice, Dominique Eastman, were remanded to prison for robbing a man of an iPhone and cash on Water Street, Georgetown.
Eastman, a 19-year-old unemployed man residing at Lot 456 ‘B’ Field, Sophia, Georgetown, and Charles, who at the time told the court he was a construction worker living at ‘C’ Field, Sophia, near the reserve dam, reportedly stole $20,000 and an iPhone from the victim.
The duo first appeared before Magistrate Rhondell Weever, where they pleaded not guilty to the robbery charge.
According to the prosecution, the pair robbed the virtual complainant of an iPhone 12 valued at $120,000 and $20,000 in cash on February 21 at Water Street, Stabroek. The prosecutor objected to bail, citing that Charles’ lack of a fixed place of abode would make it difficult to locate him should he fail to return to court.
The prosecution also revealed that the stolen phone was recovered from Eastman, although he denied this allegation. The virtual complainant identified both Eastman and Charles.
Based on the prosecution’s arguments, the duo was remanded to prison but was later released. Despite their release, months later, Charles now faces a similar charge.