Robbery suspects alibis clash

(CNS): The second of the three men currently on trial accused of an armed stick-up at a Grand Harbour liquor store last Christmas took to the witness stand Thursday and denied being one of the gang of four men involved. Bron Webb (22) from George Town said that when the Blackbeard’s robbery happened, he was asleep at the house of his co-accused, Andrew Lopez. However, Lopez, who spent almost two days on the witness stand, has given a different account that does not support the claims made by Webb.

Giving his account of how he came to be at the house where he was arrested with three other men surrounded by the evidence from the robbery, Webb said he had gone over to Lopez’ home earlier that evening, sometime after 6pm, to get money. He said he left his own home in Cruz Lane in downtown George Town and, using various shortcuts, caught a bus by Mango Tree to Prospect.

He said that when he arrived at Lopez’ house in Morningside Avenue, he went straight around the back to Lopez’ room and did not see who else was at the property. He said that Lopez was there and let him in. The two men then smoked, had a drink and chatted for a few minutes before Lopez announced he had to “go on the road”.

Webb said he did not see which car he left in but because Lopez said he would be back shortly, he stayed in his friend’s room to wait for his return. But after smoking and using the bathroom outside in the yard, he went back inside the room, laid on the bed and fell asleep. He said he did not wake up until he heard the racket outside when the police arrived and was then arrested.

However, according to Lopez’ account of the events that night, he had already left his house in Prospect with his girlfriend in a white Mercedes before Webb had arrived at his house and he did not leave his friend sleeping in the bed. Lopez claimed he did not see Webb until he returned from Savannah much later on and just minutes before the police arrived.

Lopez claims that shortly after returning home some time before 8pm on the night of the robbery, which happened around 7:30pm, he had seen Webb when he went to move the Ford Escape that was used in the robbery, which he said he had left at the front earlier that evening with the windows open and the keys in it. Noticing it had moved, he went into the backyard to move it and it was then that he spotted Webb outside smoking. Shortly afterwards, the police arrived and the arrests began.

During his time on the stand Lopez insisted he was innocent and implied that some people must have taken the black car and robbed the store but he did not know who or why the people had used his mother’s car or why they hid the gold-sprayed shotgun in his attic or anything at all about the robbery.

Throughout his testimony he did not waver from his story and told Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Richards QC, as she cross-examined him, that she had it wrong. “Miss, you is completely wrong,” Lopez insisted over and over, as the crown’s senior attorney put the suggestion to Lopez that he was the getaway driver in the heist.

“I have been locked up for eight months for nothing and I am trying to hold it together,” he said. “I know nothing about this robbery … I never did this crime.”

Lopez called no further witnesses to support his alibi after taking the stand himself. Webb is expected to face cross-examination from the Crown today as the case continues in Grand Court One.