Thirty-year-old taxi driver Steve Hercules from Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara (WBD) on Wednesday denied a $3.7 million theft charge, just one day after he pled guilty to ammunition and false licence plate possession charges. Hercules was one of six men, who were reportedly found with a quantity of firearms and ammunition while travelling in a stolen car, moments after allegedly attempting to commit a robbery last Tuesday on poultry farmer Michael Chang Yuen at Supply, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Steve Hercules and his alleged accomplices were shielding themselves from public view at the Providence Magistrate’s Court earlier this week
He took the rap and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and fined $800,000 for the illegal firearm, ammo and false licence plate charges. However, he was taken before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on even more charges on Wednesday but denied that on March 25, 2018, at Princes Street, Lodge, he stole Shawn Liverpool’s motor car along with cash and other items amounting to $3.7 million.
Police said Hercules carried out the brazen attack while being armed with a gun. Hercules who was unrepresented at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts will make his next court appearance on April 30. Meanwhile, his alleged accomplices in the Supply robbery case will next appear at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on May 10.
They are Mark Prince, a taxi driver of La Parfaite Harmonie, WBD; Leonard Khan, an Albouystown, Georgetown fish vendor; Marvin Blackman, a fish vendor of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown; Nabadingi Gobin, of Georgetown; and Edward Skeete of Albouystown. Gobin and Skeete were earlier this year released from a murder charge after a High Court Judge upheld a no-case submission.
At Tuesday’s court appearance, the men, with the exception of Hercules, all denied the 10 charges that were read to them. The Prosecution’s case contends that on April 10, 2018, while being in the vicinity of Grove, EBD, they had in their possession six live .32 ammunition, eleven 9mm ammunition, two 9mm black pistols, and a .32 black Taurus pistol.
Another charge stated that the men attempted to commit a felony on April 10.
Hercules was additionally charged with fraudulent conversion of a vehicle’s identification mark. It was alleged that on April 10, 2018, at Grove, East Bank Demerara, he changed the identification plates of a grey Premio motorcar registered as PVV 6204 to HC 4543. Hercules however denied this charge. In fact, he told the court that a customer of his offered him $50,000 to transport the vehicle on April 10, 2018, to Georgetown from Soesdyke. Hercules said prior to him delivering the vehicle; he was told of the contents therein but still agreed to perform the duty. He further explained that on his way to the city, he collected the five men. The men, he argued, did not know about the gun and ammunition.
