Three in court facing 136 charges in Pricesmart robbery

The perpetrators allegedly attempted to steal $253,327 cash from a vault located on the Pricesmart premises.

The accused — Everald Lawrence, 41, of Success Laventille, Nigel Burgess, 23, of Karamath Street, Tunapuna, and Kedan Caesar, 19, of Providence Circular, Arima — appeared before Magistrate Ejenny Espinet in the Port-of-Spain First Magistrates’ Court where the indictable charges were read to them.

Espinet read the lengthy details of each of the 45 charges laid against each accused, and a separate charge for Lawrence who was also charged with possession of ammunition.

Lawrence, Burgess and Caesar are jointly charged with 21 counts of false imprisonment at the Pricesmart warehouse at Invaders Bay on November 24.

The three accused are also jointly charged with 13 counts of robbery which allegedly took place on the premises of Pricesmart on November 24. A number of cellular phones and a box reportedly containing $253,327 cash were brought to court as exhibits. The large box containing the cash was not opened for viewing during the recording to evidence. Nine charges of assault with intent to rob were also slapped on the three accused. These offences are also alleged to have taken place during the robbery incident.

The three men are jointly charged with possession of a firearm and six rounds of ammunition. Burgess was charged separately with possession of two rounds of ammunition. Sgt Henry Dan of the St James Police Station laid the 136 indictable charges against the three men, who were not called on to plead.

Appearing for all three was attorney Keith Scotland, who applied for bail on behalf of his clients. According to the attorney, "Although these charges read like a shopping list from Pricesmart," he asked that the magistrate view the charges as charges arising out of one incident, and not to make too much out of the totality of the charges.

"I am not for one minute asking that these charges be looked at as frivolous. All I am saying is that these are all offences which took place during one incident," submitted Scotland.

However, Espinet opted to wait until tracings for the accused are brought before her in order to consider bail for the three accused.

"These are several serious acts arising from this one incident as opposed to one act or maybe even two arising out of one incident," said Espinet.

All three accused will reappear in court seeking bail.