Teenager says he stole to clear his debt

A 15-year-old secondary school student admitted in court that he robbed two persons of their jewellery because of outstanding debts he had to repay.{{more}}

The boy was brought before the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Monday, March 7, on two counts of robbery. He pleaded guilty on both counts.

On March 1, 2011, the young boy relieved Alvina King of a 14 karat gold chain in Kingstown, at about 2:45 p.m. King was in the vicinity of Tyrell Street, talking on her cellular phone, when the boy came and stood behind her. Moments later, he grabbed her chain and fled the scene.

Three days later, on March 4, at about 1:20 p.m., Vincent Peters of Kingstown was walking in the Higginson Street area, when the boy held onto him and yanked his chains from around his neck. Those chains were valued at $1,936.

The youngster, in his explanation to the court, told Senior Magistrate Donald Browne that he had borrowed money from someone and had to pay it back. “I owe ah man $350. I been borrow it from him,” the boy disclosed.

He further disclosed that a man threatened to stab him if he did not carry out one of the robberies. “A man tell me he go stab me if I didn’t steal the chain from the man down by Yankee,” he said.

The magistrate did not impose sentence on the youngster right away, but sent him to sit on the prisoner’s bench and told him (the boy) he would be kept in custody.