Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday remanded a 48-year-old mason to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court charged with robbing a woman of a pair of gold earrings at knifepoint.

Brian Benjamin, a father of three of Lot 19 Public Road, Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara entered a not guilty plea to the robbery under arms charge.

He denied that he robbed Michelle Gravesande at knifepoint of a pair of gold earrings valued $35,000 on June 24.

Mohamed Zafar, Benjamin’s lawyer, applied for bail for him on the grounds that although his client had appeared in court on another matter before, that was four years ago and since then he had not had any brushes with the law.

However, Prosecutor Denise Griffith stated that Benjamin “isn’t coming here for the first, second or third time.” She said he had appeared recently before another court on a simple larceny charge and then on a false pretence charge. Griffith also stated that she was opposing the bail application since Benjamin’s last case was about three months ago.

Zafar then said he was instructed that Gravesande was willing to resolve the matter since Benjamin had offered to recompense her for the earrings.

The magistrate subsequently ordered that Benjamin be remanded to prison and that he appear back in court today with the money to repay Gravesande.