East La Penitence man remanded on robbery, gun charges

An East La Penitence man, accused of an armed robbery in the city, was yesterday remanded to prison.

Ron McFarley, 32, of 75 Freeman Street, East La Penitence pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

McFarley was charged with robbing Wilson Mack of a BlackBerry smartphone and a quantity of cash. He was also charged with possessing a firearm without a licence on America Street.

The charges both alleged that the offences occurred on February 24.

According to Prosecutor Michael Grant, on the date in question Mack had been walking along a city street when he was approached by McFarley along with two others. According to Grant, Mack was dealt several slaps before he was relieved of his phone and the case. The robbery was reported and police, acting on information, pursued McFarley. During the pursuit, Grant said, Mc Farley pulled something out of his pocket and threw it to the ground. The item was later retrieved and was identified as a gun.

Prosecutor Grant objected to bail, giving the seriousness of the offence as his reason. His objections were upheld and Mc Farley was remanded to prison until March 18 when he will return to court for statements.