Accused changes plea to guilty

Kwesi Towine was charged with kidnapping boat builder Don Romain and robbery with aggravation three years ago. The trial began before Justice Devan Rampersad on March 24, but the 22-year-old man decided on Monday that he wanted to change his plea. The State accepted the plea and the jury was instructed to return a guilty verdict.

In his mitigation plea, Towine’s attorney Leon Gokool asked that his client be given a non-custodial sentence, because he (Towine) had been incarcerated for three years and two months. Since his committal to stand trial for the offence, Gokool said, Towine had been denied bail.

The attorney also asked the judge to consider the sentences given to the three other men who had been jointly charged with the offences. The three, Antonio Romain (no relation to the victim), Michael Phillip and Ronnie Alexander had opted for summary trials at the Magistrates’ Court. They had been found guilty and Romain was sentenced to three years with hard labour because he had a criminal record. Phillip and Alexander, who had no previous convictions, had each been placed on a $10,000 bond and ordered to keep the peace for one year. They were also each ordered to pay the victim $1,000 for each offence.

According to Gokool, the time Towine spent in prison awaiting trial was sufficient payment for the offences, because if he had opted for a summary trial he would have already served his time.

In outlining the State’s case, State attorney Tricia Hudlin told the court that at about 2.45 am on January 25, 2003 Don Romain was plying his silver Accent for hire in the St James area. He was stopped by a young man near College Bar on the Western Main Road. The young man got into the front passenger seat and three other men got into the back seat and the car headed toward Port-of-Spain. When they were in the vicinity of the Tragarete Road, one of the men said “I will take it here” and got out of the vehicle.

Towine, who was sitting behind the driver, placed his arm around Romain’s neck and announced, “This is a holdup.” Romain was subsequently handcuffed, robbed of $100, a gold ring valued at $450 and a silver ring valued at $150.

He was placed in the back seat and one of the men drove the car. When they got to St Vincent Street, on which traffic flows only in a southerly direction, the car was driven in a northerly direction and stopped by police officers on patrol. Everyone was ordered to get out of the vehicle with their hands up .

When a handcuffed Romain alighted from the vehicle, he shouted, “These men just hijacked me.” The four men were arrested and later charged by PC Joseph Piquette.

The judge on Monday commended the officer for his exceptional work.

Attorney Cheron Raphael appeared with Hudlin for the State.