Man denied bail again on multiple charges of robbery-under-arms

Isaiah Griffith, a 21-year-old labourer of Bent Street, Georgetown was again denied bail this week when he appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer to five charges of robbery under arms.

During Friday’s proceedings, the prosecution presented evidence, including disc footage reportedly linking Griffith to at least one of the robberies. Griffith again requested bail, but the prosecution strongly objected, arguing that the charges were extremely serious, and involved the use of firearms and other weapons.
Magistrate McGusty upheld the objection, stating that given the volume and gravity of the charges. The matter was adjourned to April 23.
Griffith was first charged in January, before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty with five counts of robbery under arms. The offences span two separate dates.
According to the charges, on December 17, 2024, while in the company of another and armed with a gun, he allegedly robbed Alfred Chinos of an iPhone valued at $220,000. That same day, at Robb Street, he is accused of robbing Angel McKenzie of $340,000 in cash while also armed.
On January 26, at Werk-en-Rust, while armed with a knife, Griffith allegedly robbed Zhao Fengzhi of a Samsung Galaxy phone. On the same day and location, he allegedly robbed Jiang Ji Liang of a Redmi cell phone worth $62,000. He is also accused of robbing Jin Bo Hu of $334,800, again while armed with a knife.
Griffith’s Attorney, Stacy Goodings, had earlier argued for bail, saying he had a fixed residence and alleging that he was assaulted by police officers during his arrest. She claimed that Griffith was punched in the mouth and stomach after he denied involvement in the crimes.
The prosecution, however, objected to bail on several grounds: the seriousness of the offences, the potential for witness tampering, and the presence of CCTV footage placing Griffith at a business location linked to one of the victims. They also requested a medical evaluation of the accused regarding the police brutality claims.
Magistrate McGusty had noted at that time that Griffith was already on bail for a separate matter, an arms and ammunition charge stemming from a June 2024 arrest at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice (WCB). In that case, Griffith and three others, Winston Julian Mendonca, Patrick Roach, and Shakeel Lawrence, were charged with unlawful possession of a .32 Taurus pistol and one live round of matching ammunition.
That matter was transferred to the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court, where Griffith was granted bail. His current remand follows what appears to be a series of armed robberies committed while he was already out on bail.