Rose Place man claims he was on the beach at time of burglary

A Rose Place man has an alibi of being on the beach during the night time burglary of C D Veira Ltd (Singer), but he has no other witness but the ocean.

Glenroy Browne, charged with burglary of the Singer department store, damaging a glass window and stealing electronics worth $6,588.80, must wait until July 23 to see if his alibi sinks or swims.

On this date, Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett will decide whether Browne is guilty of both offences, said to have taken place between November 27 and 28, 2017.

Following the November 28 incident, a video had surfaced showing two masked men breaking the store’s window with a stone, and removing televisions and a stereo.

The prosecution, who showed this video in court, is alleging that one of these men is Browne. However, no other person has been arrested in relation to the incident.

This video is in addition to the evidence of the police, including the arresting officer Ballantyne, who said that on November 29, he was on patrol in Rose Place when he saw Browne, who was a suspect.

Browne then apparently addressed the officer, saying, “Bally, I know you ah look for me.”

“Come leh we go station,” he also reportedly said, after being told of the report of burglary.

The accused was taken to the station where he reportedly told the police, “Ah me break the place but me cyah tell allyuh who else because me go get kill and the police cyah protect me.”

However, when he took the stand, the defendant told a story of a much less brazen individual. He said that on that day, police officer Ballantyne had pulled up in the police transport, but he was hesitant and delayed going inside.

He said at the station the police were saying, “Yes, yes we have you now…we catch you now.”

Browne told his evidence with intonation, hand gestures and furrowed brow while seemingly looking off into the distance.

He said the police then debated whether to show him a picture, eventually concluding that they should.

He said they began to show him “this unknown picture,” and “pointing out and telling me that one is me…I is the one who throw the stone.” He said sombrely that he told the police, “I knows not what you’re talking about.”

He said that they named the other person in the picture to be a certain individual but he said he didn’t know. Browne continued, “the greatest thing about police officers, they don’t want to hear no.”

“They start to swing me left, they start to swing me right,” the defendant stated, and that at some point when he caught himself, the police were still repeating the name to him.

“If you say that is (the person) go for him…” he said he told the police, and afterwards he was put back in the cell.

He said later the police asked him to make a statement but he didn’t want to since he knew nothing.

Prosecutor Corlene Samuel asked where the defendant was on the days leading up to his arrest, and he answered that he was on the beach the entire time.

Therefore, on November 27, 28 and 29, Browne never left the beach, where he works pushing out boats. “I always around the beach,” he said, and when asked, “I does leave the beach…yes…I does push my cart.”

The report that he had told the police officers that he knew why they were looking for him was, “Pass lie,” Browne insisted.

“Hah to be a crazy man. That’s a crazy man action,” he added.

“I never do no crime since when I born,” he said at the end of cross examination.

He had no witnesses to corroborate his story.