Man remanded for multiple break-and-enter offences

…court told of extensive history of similar offences

Devon Hubbard, a 39-year-old man from Lot 91 Garnett Street, Georgetown, was on Wednesday remanded to prison after being charged with multiple counts of break-and-enter offences, including a recent break-in at the Ministry of Housing Annex.

Hubbard, who has a history of similar offences, appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges laid against him.
The court heard that between February 27 and March 1, Hubbard attempted to break into the salon of Abehola Prince, with intent to commit larceny. It was further alleged that between March 1 and March 4, he successfully broke into I & J Reflections Salon, located at Lot 37 Croal and Camp Streets, Georgetown, and stole six pairs of brand-name sneakers, valued at $100,000; a Visio wireless surround system valued at $90,000; a Baby Bliss flat iron valued at $52,000, and a Keratin Bond iron valued at $28,000; all amounting to a total value of $270,000.
Additionally, Hubbard was accused of breaking into the Guyana Gaming Authority between February 7 and February 10, where he allegedly stole a case of Fruita juice worth $4,500; a spray can valued at $18,000; three rolls of Bounty tissue worth $25,000, and a quantity of stationery worth $20,000; totalling $67,000. The final charge read to Hubbard stated that between March 2 and March 3, he unlawfully entered the Ministry of Housing, Annex with intent to steal.
During his court appearance, Hubbard, who was unrepresented, repeatedly begged the magistrate for bail, stating that he was assaulted by the police following his arrest. He claimed that the police shackled him to a vehicle and instructed the driver to drive, dragging him along the ground and causing severe injuries, including bruises all over his body and painful wounds on his legs.
He told the court that the wounds burned whenever he bathed and that he had been in immense pain since his arrest. Before explaining how he sustained the injuries, Hubbard first told the magistrate that he was assaulted while in custody. Upon asking an officer to verify that he had injuries on his body, the magistrate questioned the prosecution on how he received them, prompting him to give his account of the alleged police brutality.
Despite his pleas, the prosecution objected to bail, arguing that there were no special reasons to justify his release. They informed the magistrate that Hubbard was caught on CCTV footage committing the break-ins at all the premises and that, according to their reports, he already had the injuries when he was arrested.
The prosecution further noted that Hubbard had an extensive history of similar offences, having been charged in 2017, 2018, and 2021.
When the magistrate questioned Hubbard about his past criminal record, he admitted that he had been before the court before but could only recall one instance, from either 2017 or 2018.
The prosecution, however, pointed out that he had only been released from prison six months ago, leading the magistrate to question how he could forget something so recent.
Hubbard continued pleading for bail, telling the court that two of his children lived with his mother and that he needed to assist in taking care of them. He claimed that his mother’s foot “was not good”, and that he had to help her as well. Throughout the proceedings, he repeatedly asked for “a small bail” and a reasonable chance to be released, but his requests were denied.
Hubbard had been previously charged in August 2023 for breaking into the Unification Church in Georgetown, where he allegedly stole one projector valued at $200,000, two microphones worth $100,000, and one speaker box worth $180,000.
During that case, the prosecution had objected to bail, citing the prevalence of the offence and his prior convictions. Additionally, in 2016, Hubbard and another man were charged for breaking into the storage bond of a businessman and stealing $2 million worth of copper cables.
At the time, Hubbard’s lawyer had argued that he was not a flight risk, but the court ultimately ruled against his release. He was later sentenced to prison.
Given his extensive criminal record and the strength of the evidence presented against him, the magistrate refused bail and ordered that he be remanded to prison. Hubbard is set to return to court on April 23.