Man acquitted of robbery and shooting charges

Man acquitted of robbery and shooting charges

A man accused of assaulting a watchman and firing at police officers in 2016 has been cleared of all charges.

Ron Marchan was released after High Court Master Delicia Bethelmy dismissed the case during a sufficiency hearing yesterday.

Marchan’s attorney, Bhimal Maharajh, argued that the case should be thrown out because State prosecutors failed to file the indictment and supporting evidence on time and did not request an extension. He said the prolonged delays were unfair to his client, who had been waiting for the sufficiency hearing to determine whether he would face trial on several serious charges.

Maharajh also noted that the matter was already delayed when it was before a magistrate, prior to being transferred to Master Bethelmy under the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act (AJIPA). The AJIPA system replaces lengthy preliminary inquiries with faster sufficiency hearings before High Court Masters.

Master Bethelmy agreed with the defence and granted the application to discharge Marchan.

The allegations stemmed from an incident on February 10, 2016. The watchman on duty at a used car lot off the Uriah Butler Highway in Chaguanas was sitting in his vehicle when four men, including someone he recognised, ambushed him. The attackers dragged him from the car, repeatedly stamped on him, stole his cellphone, and tied his hands behind his back in a room on the compound. One assailant reportedly sprayed a substance into his eyes, causing intense burning.

Police arrived, rescued the watchman, and attempted to stop the suspects as they fled. The men allegedly opened fire on the officers, who shot back. The suspects’ vehicle eventually crashed near a lay-by on the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

One suspect was injured and later died in hospital, while the others escaped. Marchan was arrested nearly a week after the incident and charged with shooting with intent, robbery with violence, and possession of a firearm and ammunition, based on the victim’s identification.