The four men - Police Constable Gideon Jackson; former Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force Soldier Timorie Elliotte; in stripes Deon Thomas and with plaited hair Omari Phillip - appeared before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh Tuesday, and the matter was dealt with before the usual 9 am opening of the court. (Photo by Juste Zachariah)courtesy Antigua Daily Observer
Adapted from Antigua Daily Observer:
Four men, including a police officer and a former Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) member, have been remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison on murder and aggravated robbery charges.
Constable Gideon Jackson, Omari “Boots” Phillip, Timorie Elliotte, an ex ABDF soldier and Deon “Ticks” Thomas made their first appearance before a magistrate on the 28th.
A large crowd lined the sidewalk on Temple and High streets and in the St John’s Magistrates’ Court parking lot and at the Ryan Building that is adjacent to the court waiting for the arrival of the police Coaster bus, which normally transports prisoners to and from court.to get a glimpse of the men accused of robbing Dee’s Service Station – an incident which resulted in service station attendant Dorothy Prince, 40, being killed.
The men were dealt with before the customary scheduled court time of 9 am and before the gates were opened to the public. This was done as a security measure.
A large contingent of officers, including members from the Task Force, was deployed at the Magistrates’ Court to avert any possible threats to the men’s lives.
Jackson, Elliotte and Thomas are charged with Prince’s murder. However, the three, including Phillip, all face an aggravated robbery charge.
The allegations stem from the February 17 robbery at Dee’s Service Station at the junction of Old Parham Road and Sir George Walter Highway. There, the suspects allegedly drove to Dee’s 24 hour Service Station in a green Nissan Almera car and three of them exited the vehicle with guns while the fourth man remained behind the wheel.
The attendants reportedly dropped their moneybags and allowed the trio to pick them up without offering resistance.
Witnesses said once the thieves got their loot, they opened fire on the attendants and returned the getaway car, which sped off into the night.
The deceased was the only attendant struck by the bullets. She sustained injuries to the breast, hand and abdomen. The 40-year-old mother of two died the following night.
On Tuesday police recovered the vehicle they believed was used in the crime and on Thursday they reportedly recovered the moneybags and several cheques belonging to the service station.
attendants of over $5,000. Prince was shot during the robbery and died a day later.
The four men were all detained in under a week and despite charges being filed, police said the investigation continues.
Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh expressed concern why only three were charged with the capital offence. She said she hopes the police are not regretful of that decision.
Committal proceedings are set for May 21.
Phillip is being represented by attorney Sherfield Bowen while Jackson and Thomas have as their legal advocates Vere Bird III and Joy Dublin respectively. Elliotte is unrepresented at this point.
