Crown seeks cash from robbers

(CNS) The director of public prosecutions is seeking to recover the missing cash which was stolen from the Buckingham Square branch of Cayman National Bank in June 2012 from the convicted robbers. The largest ever heist in Cayman and understood to be the biggest bank stick-up in the region, more than half a million dollars was taken by an armed gang, which involved at least six men. Although around $140,000 was seized during the investigation, the bulk of the cash has never been recovered.

Some $350,000 is believed to still be in the hands of the robbers, five of whom are now serving time in HMP Northward.

Marlon Dillon, the key witness against his co-conspirators in the robbery, was in possession of some $100,000 from the robbery when he was arrested on the day of the daylight heist and that cash was seized. Several months later Ryan Edwards was arrested in Jamaica in possession of around CI$35,000 and US$5000 in cash, which was identified as coming from the robbery and recovered alongside his extradition.

Although cash was understood to have been dropped on the road by the robbers as they fled after their getaway was foiled by the armoured van, that amount has never been disclosed.

The bulk of the money, however, is still missing and the courts have scheduled a compensation hearing for September, when Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryll Richards will seek to seize whatever assets the now convicted gang has in order to meet the missing amount.

However, the four men convicted last week following a five week trial, as well as Ryan Edwards, who was convicted last year, have all denied being the robbers and have been in jail since 2012. With the passage of time it may be difficult for the authorities to identify any assets that could be seized to equate to the still missing and substantial sum of cash stolen from the bank.

David Tamasa, Rennie Cole, George Mignott and Andre Burton were all in the dock again on Wednesday, when their defence attorneys presented their arguments for why each man should be receiving lower sentences than they were given after their first conviction. Each attorney sought to minimize his client’s involvement and urged the judge to reconsider their previous sentences.

Speaking on behalf of Mignott, Guy Dilliway-Parry from Priestley’s described the gang as “a very unprofessional job”. Far from the organised professional robbery committed by hardened criminals that the crown had described, Dilliway-Perry said it was “a bumbling ill-thought-out and ill-considered job by a group of deluded individuals”.

Justice Ingrid Mangatal adjourned the case after hearing submissions from all four defence attorneys and the crown. The judge said she will deliver her decision about how long the men will serve next Wednesday.