Linden farmer Colin Estwick was on Monday remanded to prison on an armed robbery charge allegedly committed on a police rank. 
Estwick is accused of shooting the virtual complainant, a Police rank, during the course of the robbery; however, Estwick was slapped with only the robbery charge when he faced Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman on Monday morning at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The charge detailed that Estwick, in the company of others and armed with a gun, relieved Roshan Rampersaud of two smartphones valued at $225,000 along with $129,000 cash, among other valuables to a total of $366,000, property of the said complainant.
Estwick told the court he is 22 years old and is father to one child. The unrepresented accused contended that he was placed in four different identification (ID) parades unrelated to the charge before the courts, and was granted $50,000 bail hereafter. However, he continued, the bail was withdrawn when his wife showed up with the money.
Moreover, he alleged that the virtual complainant never made an appearance and an ID parade was never conducted in relation to the present offence.
Nonetheless, Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves contended that, on the day in question, the defendant, armed with a dangerous weapon, attacked the complainant and relieved him of the said valuables before escaping.
Moreover, the accused reportedly confessed to the offence under caution in an oral statement.
The fact that the complainant suffered injuries from the gun, coupled with the seriousness of the charge and penalty attached to the offence, constituted grounds for the prosecution’s objection to bail.
It was further disclosed to the court that the accused has pending robbery charges before the courts, and in those circumstances he was remanded to prison until October 2, 2017.
