Nineteen-year-old porter Delroy Nero was sentenced to five years imprisonment by Magistrate Chandra Sohan after he pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery under arms committed on his employer Wazir Dilchan.

In addition, the magistrate ordered that five strokes be given to the prisoner who was released from prison five months ago after serving three years for a similar offence.

Police Prosecutor Lance Corporal Roberta Figueira, relating the facts in the Reliance Court yesterday, said that on September 13 the convict and the virtual complainant were selling rice from the victim’s truck, when Nero, along with other employees, pulled out a handgun and lashed Dilchan in his face before ordering out of the vehicle.

Nero then pushed his hand into his employer’s pocket, relieved him of $180,000 and took away the keys for the canister, which he opened and taking the $550,000 that was in it, escaped.

A report was made at Central Police Station and police on the West Coast Berbice subsequently mounted a road block at D’Edward Village. Nero was nabbed as he was travelling in a minibus to Georgetown.

A search was carried out on his person and $63,000 was found concealed in his pants crotch.

Figueira urged the court not to show leniency to the repeat offender who seemed  not to have learnt his lesson.