Tourist police officer praised for professional manner in giving evidence in armed robbery case

A 40-year-old tourist police that had a long and unfulfilled desire to become a part of the numbered police officers, was complimented on the professional manner in which she gave evidence in court recently.

Saskia Ettiene a tourist police, was a witness in a preliminary inquiry at the Serious Offences Court on January 17.

She was the last of nine witnesses that gave evidence in relation to a charge against 23-year-old Jerroy “Jay Jay” Phillips of Redemption Sharpes.

Based on all evidence, at the end of the inquiry, Phillips, not represented by a lawyer, was committed to stand trial at the High Court for a charge of, being armed with a gun, robbing Osborne Bowen of Glen.

Details of the offence read that Bowen, on November 1, 2018, at Indian Bay, was robbed of a black Glock 19 9mm pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition worth $3030, one brown leather wallet valued $150EC and containing $80EC, and a Huawei cell phone worth $2000EC. Together all items are worth EC$5260.

During Ettiene’s evidence, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne complimented her, and was joined by Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche who commented that he understood she had applied to the main body of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) before but was unsuccessful.

When asked, Ettiene answered that she had six o’levels.

After evidence was finished, the magistrate fleshed out her praise, noting that the first commendable occurrence was how Ettiene had recited the oath before giving evidence. It was done “very well” Browne complimented, saying that not all police officers are able to do that.

Secondly, the evidence she gave was very well relayed, and very well spoken, the Chief Magistrate stated, telling her “Kudos.”

Ettiene revealed to SEARCHLIGHT afterwards that she has applied to be a police officer more than once. However, on the matter of whether she still wanted this, she said “Sometimes yes, sometimes no.”

Just a few days after “Jay Jay” was committed to stand trial for this offence, he was arraigned at the High Court for two separate charges related to an incident that allegedly happened on October 27, 2018, at McKies Hill.

On Tuesday, January 21, before Justice Brian Cottle, Phillips pleaded not guilty, to robbing Antonio Baptiste of one Samsung Galaxy phone, and stealing and carrying away Baptiste without his consent.

Phillips said he did not need to get a lawyer and that he was preparing his defense himself. However, when the judge asked him whether he realized that the maximum penalty for robbery was life in prison, he answered that he did not.

Nevertheless, prosecutor Renée Simmons asked that the matter be traversed to the next High Court assizes due to the number of matters that were already scheduled for these assizes.

The accused also told the court that the complainant met him in the street and told him (Phillips) that he (Baptiste) did not want to proceed with the matter.

The defendant insisted that he never approached the complainant, and that it was the other way around. In the meantime, bail in the sum of $25,000 continues for the defendant.