Peter Thompson, a 22-year-old food vendor accused of armed robbery, has been placed on $250,000 bail on Wednesday after appearing before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty virtually in that Georgetown magistrate’s court.
Thompson had been remanded to prison since December 2024, following his arrest for armed robbery involving over $3.4 million in valuables.
Charges against Thompson stem from an incident that occurred on November 12, 2024 at Durban Street in Lodge, Georgetown. According to police, Thompson was armed with a handgun and was in the company of others when he allegedly robbed Adelle David inside a salon. The items he stole reportedly included six gold finger rings valued at $632,500; two gold chains worth $870,000; a gold ankle chain valued at $150,000; a gold wristband worth $570,000; a handbag valued at $2,990, and $1,190,000 in cash.
During Wednesday’s court proceedings, the prosecution requested and was allowed to proceed with a summary trial, presenting video evidence as part of their case. Footage reportedly from the salon where the robbery occurred was played in court. It showed two men entering the establishment and robbing those present of their valuables.
At the initial hearing in November 2024, the prosecution had argued against bail, citing the severity of the crime and pointing out that the victim claimed she could identify Thompson as one of the perpetrators.
Thompson’s attorney at the time, Darren Wade, had argued that his client had no prior convictions, no stolen items were recovered from him, and the video footage did not clearly implicate him. Bail had been denied, and Thompson had been remanded to prison.
In court on Wednesday, Attorney Nigel Hughes, who now represents Thompson, argued that the prosecution’s case remained weak. He pointed out that the video evidence presented in court did not provide clear identification of the perpetrators, as their faces were obscured by camera angles and physical obstructions.
The prosecution maintained that Thompson could be identified by a mark on his hand, but this could not be established in court. The prosecution had also requested that Thompson be required to surrender his passport as a condition of being placed on bail.
Magistrate McGusty acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations, but noted that the video evidence offered little assistance in positively identifying Thompson as one of the perpetrators.
She declined the prosecution’s request to have Thompson surrender his passport. However, she granted bail in the sum of $250,000 and imposed reporting conditions, requiring Thompson to report regularly to the police.
Thompson is expected to return to court on February 5, as the case progresses.