NYD diamond robbers’ sentences stick

(CNS): The three men convicted of the New Year’s Day jewel heist in 2014 after they were chased down by the police commissioner as they tried to escape all failed in their bid to reduce their robbery sentences Monday. James McLean and Jonathan Ramoon had been convicted of possession of an unlicensed firearm as well as the robbery, while Christopher Myles, who was the getaway driver, had been convicted on the robbery charge alone.

Claims that the judge in the case, Justice Charles Quin, had not considered the youth and good character of McLean, had been too harsh by comparing the crime with a much worse historical case and had not given enough discount for their guilty pleas were among the arguments advanced by the men’s attorneys, but they were all dismissed.

The appeal court said the judge’s role was to find a sentence that reflected the seriousness of case. Sir Bernard Rix, who delivered the judgment dismissing the appeals, said that even though McLean was 22 at the time of the offence, given the seriousness of the crime, his relative youth accounted for very little. Rix said that the judge had been extremely “generous” with the discounts he gave to all three offenders for their guilty pleas, considering how long it took them all to plead guilty when they were caught red-handed.

The Court of Appeal upheld their sentences: fifteen years for Ramoon, twelve for McLean and ten for Myles. A fourth man who was involved in the robbery has never been apprehended.

The four men robbed Diamond’s International early in the morning on 1 January 2014 as cruise ship passengers were disembarking into George Town. They went into the store armed with a gun and a hammer, smashed display cases and threatened staff and customers. The robbers made off with around $850,000 worth of jewels, most of which was recovered after they were caught with the help of members of the public, security staff working in the capital and Police Commissioner David Baines, who chased the robbers in his own car.

Baines was off duty at the time but reportedly waiting nearby to meet a friend who was aboard a cruise ship that was coming into Cayman. He spotted a security guard and others giving chase and went after the men in their getaway car. When it crashed and they ran off he continued his pursuit in his own SUV and ran Ramoon down, pinning him under the vehicle. The robber suffered several broken bones and internal injuries and was forced to make court appearances on a gurney.

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