Young knife-wielding robber gets 10 years jail time

A 21 year old young man with six previous convictions was sentenced to 10 years in prison on two counts of knifepoint robbery of a teacher and pastor.

The High Court #1 on June 15, heard that Trevano Caine, of no fixed address, has left his female victims traumatized and hyper vigilant of their surroundings after he robbed them in two separate locations in 2022.

On his first count of robbery against a teacher, Caine was sentenced to eight years in prison, and two months for damage to property to run concurrently with his eight year sentence.

He will also spend two years behind bars on his second count after time on remand was deducted when Justice Brian Cottle applied the totality principle. This sentence will begin after he serves time on the first count.

However, after time spent on remand was deducted, Caine will only spend a total of nine years, seven months and two days in prison.

According to a summary presented by the judge, around 6:00 a.m on March 11, 2022, Tamicha Haynes, a teacher was walking along the Fountain/Villa public road when she saw the prisoner walking behind her.

She paid him no mind, but then he approached her and pulled a knife at her. He then tried to pull her handbag and as she resisted, she received a cut on her right hand and he was able to take her bag. During the struggle, her cell phone fell and Caine also took it and ran away. The bag and its contents were valued at $3,038.

Later that same morning, pastor Rhonda Dixon was walking along the Arnos Vale public road in the vicinity of Chillspot when she saw Caine approaching her. He was wearing a black face mask and she greeted him as she walked by.

She had only walked a further 10 feet when she felt a tug on her shoulder and when she turned around she saw the prisoner holding her bag after he used a knife to cut the straps.

He then ran off, and Dickson stopped a passing car that, coincidentally, was driven by a police officer and the matter was reported.

When the police conducted a search, a cheque belonging to Dickson was found in Caine’s pocket, and most of the other items that were stolen from both victims were later retrieved at two different locations.

Justice Cottle told the court that the education of the young man, who is a labourer, ended when he dropped

out of secondary school.

He said that Caine has six previous convictions for theft and burglary, as well as wounding, and escaping lawful custody.

In addition, Cottle said that when a social worker asked him about the offence concerning Haynes, he said it was a “joke.” Caine said that he had just taken the bag and run away as they were “hooking up” and had a misunderstanding, and when he tried to return the items, she refused to take them and reported it to the police.

When his mother was interviewed, she said that as a child Caine was displaying deviant behaviour and kept running away and taking things from the home and selling them.

He was therefore sent to the Liberty Lodge Boys Training Centre but he kept leaving that facility.

Cottle also informed the court that the police said while in prison, Caine gets into conflict with other inmates and has smuggled contraband items into the prison.

He added that the victims are traumatized, fearful, and hyper vigilant about their surroundings. As a result, they no longer feel safe travelling alone.

After assessing the sentencing guidelines, Cottle started at 12 years in prison. However, this was reduced to eight years after a 1/3 discount was granted for Caine’s guilty plea.

Caine was not represented by legal counsel. The Crown’s case was led by Renee Simmons.