Werk-en-Rust man remanded for alleged purse-snatching

A 26-year-old labourer was remanded to prison on Friday after he was accused of snatching a woman’s purse along Brickdam Road in Georgetown – a crime he insists he did not commit.
Shawn Dover, of Leopold Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where he was charged with larceny. He pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The charge alleges that on July 3, 2025, Dover stole a purse belonging to Chandralaka Chunilall. The bag reportedly contained a Republic Bank card, a National Identification Card, a Samsung S24 Ultra valued at $250,000, and $48,790 in cash, a total value of $298,790.
According to the prosecution, Chunilall was in the vicinity of Brickdam when her bag was suddenly snatched. Dover was reportedly chased and later apprehended by police, who allegedly found the stolen items on his person.
The prosecution further stated that not all of the woman’s belongings were recovered, and emphasised that the victim did not give consent for her belongings to be taken.
Given the seriousness of the offence and the high value of the stolen items, the prosecution objected to bail.
However, when given an opportunity to speak, Dover denied the allegations and offered a different version of events. He told the court that he is a married man and father and has never been involved in such criminal activity. On the day in question, he said he went to work but found there was no work on that day and decided to leave.
He claimed that while in the Brickdam area, he may have accidentally brushed past Chunilall, possibly touching her, but said he did not snatch her bag. According to Dover, as he passed her, she suddenly began screaming, and soon after, a police vehicle drove into him and knocked him off his bicycle.
“Ma’am, I was crossing the road and passing she when a police van run over me and start asking me, ‘Wey de bag deh? Wey de bag deh?’ I didn’t even know bout no bag,” he told the court.
Dover insisted that the woman’s bag was not found on him, but at a distance from where she was standing, and suggested that the police acted with force before conducting a proper investigation.
He also claimed that the police did not take a statement from him nor escort him for medical attention after the alleged incident involving the police vehicle.
In court, Magistrate McGusty asked Chunilall whether she would voluntarily throw her purse, phone and a large sum of cash to a stranger. Chunilall firmly said no.
The matter has been adjourned until August 8. Dover will remain on remand until then.