No bail for accused in ‘choke and rob’ attack

A man was yesterday remanded to prison on the charge that he choked a woman and robbed her of her handbag.

Paul Smith, who appeared four days ago before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on charges of threatening to kill his mother and assaulting a policeman, was yesterday accused of stealing Stacy Pindoo’s handbag, with articles totalling $13,000.

Smith denied committing the offence, which allegedly took place on September 14 in Georgetown.

Paul Smith

The police’s case is Pindoo was walking along the road and Smith came from behind and choked her, before grabbing the handbag and making good his escape.

Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield stated that Smith was chased by public-spirited citizens and caught and they handed him over to the police.

When given the opportunity to explain what happened, Smith, who had a visibly swollen face with black and blue marks, said that after his previous charge he moved out of his mother’s home and went to his uncle’s place. He claimed he was heading to a shop to purchase a “red cake” when he was hit in his face and he blacked out.

Smith said that he woke up in the hospital and was then taken to the police station. He denied any knowledge about the robbery. “…Pon meh grandmother life me ain’t do nun, me ain’t even see she,” he said of Pindoo.

The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that Smith had a pending matter in the court system.

As a result, he was then refused bail and remanded to prison.

The matter was then transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for October 16.