Robbers landed illegally from Jamaica
(CNS): Two men have admitted robbing a variety store in Bodden Town after illegally landing in the Cayman Islands on a boat from Jamaica. Romario Codner (22) and Paul Martin (26) were arrested a week after the armed stick-up on the evening of 12 August at D&D Accessories, which is also a money transfer agent, where they stole more than CI$2,100. Appearing in court for sentencing Wednesday, the crown said that neither of the men wore gloves or masks, and CCTV and fingerprint evidence left them with no choice but to admit their guilt after police tracked them down.
However, the pair claimed they did not organise the robbery and were instructed by the men who had brought them here to hold up the store. The two Jamaican nationals said they both came on the trip to Cayman to bring “stuff”, the details of which were not disclosed during the court hearing before visiting judge, Dame Linda Dobbs.
After their arrest, Martin told police that he and Codner were brought by two Nicaraguan men and they were supposed to meet with a boat off the coast of Grand Cayman, where they were to deliver the undisclosed “goods”, refuel and head back to Jamaica, but the boat never came.
Martin said that they did not have enough fuel to get back to Jamaica, so they waited till nightfall and came to shore. He said the boat captain disappeared and came back with a car, and then took him and Codner to an abandoned house, where they remained for several days with no power or food. At some point, he said, they were taken to the store. Martin claimed he did not know that Codner, who took the lead in the heist, was armed.
The weapon used in the terrifying robbery was never recovered but the victim of the holdup described it as a shiny handgun. Codner was said to have leapt onto the counter of the money transfer and demanded cash or, he said, he would kill the woman who was in the store alone when the robbery happened. Crown prosecutor Kenneth Ferguson told the court that on the CCTV footage, the cashier was crying and shaking so badly that she could barely hold the cash pan to hand it over to the robber.
After Codner stuffed the money in his pockets, he and Martin, who was standing watch by the door, made their escape in a waiting car.
Neither of the robbers have identified their accomplices or the men they say organised the robbery and gave Codner the weapon.
The court heard that there was no indication that either men had criminal records in Jamaica and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Their defence attorneys therefore urged the judge to give them credit on the jail term they would receive by a full third, noting that both men had shown considerable remorse and had apologised to the victim and the Caymanian public in a letter to the court.
The judge also heard that the two men have been charged with illegal landing and that the charge will be heard in Summary Court. The sentencing hearing was adjourned until December and the men were remanded back into custody.
i just came for the cake
Time for a Coast Guard.
Remorse! BS! If they had shown remorse, they would not have lied on their accomplices being Nicaraguan and would have turned over the gun, or who now has it and given the true identities of those involved in the drug running with them. Maximum sentence!
Well all the Trump haters shouldn’t have a problem with situations like this as apparently trying to deport illegal immigrants is inhumane….Or is it a different story when this sort of stuff happens in your own backyard?
It is becoming obvious to anyone with a brain that Jamaican canoes no longer travel the open ocean to transport ganja for sale in Cayman.
Why risk getting caught with a boatload of weed? They now travel to Cayman with 4 or 5 thieves on board, drop them off in a secluded place and return in a week or two to pick them up.
Their instructions are to go into unoccupied homes and steal as much cash and jewelry as they can find and the two days before pickup to rob stores for cash and jewelry.
Being found at sea with expensive jewelry is not usually liked at as a crime if they break down at sea so they can look forward assistance and go on their way.
WaYaSay
It is obvious to anyone but RCIPS.
Like your theory for so long all robberies were blamed on unemployed Caymanian youth, about time they stat looking at more likely options
yes, that’s right, because there are absolutely no Cayman criminals right? You are in denial and need help
No gloves? Were they robbed by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels?
Bring back sweet jamaica yes whats going here in these islands run by those brought here by our colonial power to control the natives is pathetic Bobo its time we drain our swamp and send them home and I mean all of them including the critters from overeas
You were all bought here, mostly from the same place-love they neighbor or doesn’t that apply outside your church?
Cayman purge? DO you thin Jamaica could handle it?
Law abiding people must get a visa and go through security. Open borders for criminals.
Any news on camana bay jewelry store robbery?
They landed illegally, only because they were caught. How many other trips did they make before being caught? Those poor Nicaraguans (Jamaicans/Nassauvian), who landed safely and were housed, to rob, steal and plunder. It’s a pity, our laws are so lenient, unlike other countries.
Must be experienced, knew where and how to steal a car, quickly identified abandoned house and made sure to use unknown help to be of different nationality
You should say that its obvious they know the island and have been here before.
Build the wall!
And make Mexico pay for it!
Oh no….make Jamaica pay for it, afterall it’s not the Mexicans we need to keep out of Cayman. By the way, where are all the comments from our Jamaican population?????
6:39 pm, I wonder where are the degrading comments? OMG, poor Caymanians! Always criticized and marginalized but isn’t this home sweet home to soooooo manyyyyy.
They are busy minding our children, building our buildings, doing our household chores and other menial jobs Caymanians won’t do so they don’t have time to troll CNS. Fact is, there are good and bad in all countries. These criminals are pilfering far less than our North American and European residents but as per usual “light is right and black….”
…is whack”
Crack is whack. Goodness if you are going to be derogatory at least get it right!
Dem no ‘ave no credit.
Told ya…..Jamaican!
Our poor Cayman Islands, Jamaica-kind is our destruction in sheer numbers but let’s stay in denial
I filled my car with gas at Mostyns in Bodden Town at 4:00 today. There were three cars in the small area they have there. There were 7 Jamaicans there from the cars of the lower socio economic class spending the money they had got presumably from payday. They were LOUD-Christ why are they so loud – all shouting at each other and drinking something and throwing paper down after they finished eating their food. The pump attendant was also Jamaican so nothing was said. We all know that Bodden Town is now Little Kingston but is this true of anywhere else in Cayman?
So WHEN are we going to have a PROPER MARINE BORDER CONTROL ???
When the responsibility is removed from the RCIPS.
No credit, I think anyone like this that is not willing to give up their accomplices and won’t say where the weapon came from need to be made an example of.
Those same criminals were living in my area. Let them tell the truth, if not, double their sentence. Long story.
Well surely the police has now found out who “brought them here and ordered the robberies” and is investigating this matter despite those two thugs not being able to “identify” them!
They wont identify their accomplices.