Venezuelan jailed for robbing doubles man

VENEZUELAN national Juan Boscoe Cedeno, 56, was yesterday jailed for six years with hard labour after being found guilty of robbery with aggravation.

Cedeno, of Calle Plaza, Valencia, Venezuela, appeared before Second Court Magistrate Sonia Aleong, charged with robbing a couple of $10,000 last December. Court prosecutor Cpl Joey Samaroo, in relating the facts of the case, told the court that on the morning of December 9, doubles vendors’ Etwaroo Ramjattan and Shermatee “Doodoo” Boodram, both of Pryam Street, Diamond Village, went into the High Street, San Fernando branch of Republic Bank. Ramjattan stood in line inside the bank and collected $10,000 in cash from his account. He requested that the money be placed in an envelope. When Ramjattan and Boodram emerged from the bank, they walked along Harris Promenade and in the vicinity of the Trainline, on the Promenade, they were accosted by three men who announced a hold-up. One of the men pushed Ramjattan, while another pulled the envelope containing the cash, from Ramjattan’s pants pocket. The men then ran off. Boodram, the court heard, ran after the men and managed to grab onto one of the fleeing bandits, later identified as Cedeno.

On being held by the female victim, Cedeno cried out, “ma’am,  me eh take your money, somebody else take it.” He was arrested by WPCs Dickson and Moore who were on foot patrol along the promenade. Cedeno was subsequently charged by Cpl Roland Surujbally of the San Fernando CID. Cedeno was represented yesterday by attorney Nathaniel King. Through court interpreter Murchison Centeno Elie of the Caribbean Institute of Languages and International Business, Cedeno denied being a part of the robbery and said that it was a case of mistaken identity. Cedeno claimed that he came to Trinidad  with the sole intention of purchasing food items to take back to his homeland. However, Aleong was not impressed and ruled that he was guilty as charged. When court interpreter Elie translated the sentence to Cedeno, the accused remained calm and did not say anything. He was then led back to the holding cell, to await transport to Golden Grove prison, to begin his sentence.