The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A MANAGER of the John Bull Store in Freeport testified in court yesterday about the events surrounding the theft of nearly $1 million in merchandise from the luxury goods store in 2018.

The testimony came as the trial of two men accused of conspiring to rob the store in Grand Bahama got underway in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Accused Corradon Cockburn, 33, and Diego Carey, 26, both of New Providence, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson.

Bjorn Ferguson is representing Cockburn. Carey’s counsel was not present.

In August 2018, the men were charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Cockburn was also charged separately with possession of proceeds of criminal conduct, and Carey was charged separately with receiving.

Paula Robinson, the manager at the John Bull store in Port Lucaya, was the first witness called by the prosecution to give evidence.

She and five other female staff—Margaret Higgs, Shantae McIntosh, Megan Coakley, Daphne Hanna, and Felicia Adamson—were at work in the store at the time of the robbery on the morning of July 23, 2018.

Ms Robinson said she arrived at work around 9am. She was in the back office when she heard the breaking of glass and screaming.

“I heard screams and glass shattering; I looked for the panic alarm, but one of the staff had picked it up,” she told the court.

Ms Robinson said her staff ran in the back and they called the police station, but got no answer. They then called the security at Port Lucaya Marketplace.

After the robbery, Ms Robinson was concerned about a missing staff member and went to check the floor. She said she saw that the Rolex and Breitling showcases were smashed.

“The glass showcase was shattered and the watches were missing,” she said.

She said after police arrived, she called Nassau to inform her boss and the loss intervention manager, who sent a variance report so she could check and identify what watches were missing.

Ms Robinson said 35 Rolex watches and two Breitling watches were missing from the store.

She said that she marked off the serial number on the variance report to identify each watch, and sent the report to the Nassau store, and also gave a copy of the report to the police.

Prosecutor Anthony Sawyer made an application for the variance report to be exhibited as evidence for identification purposes only.

Ms Robinson said that a physical count is taken of the watches in the morning and again in the evening, and a count sheet is prepared.

When asked if there was any sale before the robbery, the store manager said they had just opened the store and nothing had been sold as yet.

The prosecutor asked: “Did you do a count sheet that day?”

Ms Robinson said one should have been done. She explained that the count sheet contains information regarding each watch, including the opening count, the date, closing count, if any was sold, in layaway, or in backup.

The prosecutor asked if police recovered any of the stolen items.

Ms Robinson said officers brought back two Rolex watches that were found on the outside after the robbery on the day in question. She also said police brought back five additional Rolex watches on July 31, 2018.

The prosecutor produced several individual evidence bags, each containing a stolen watch. He asked Ms Robinson to identify the two watches that police had brought back to the store on the day of the robbery.

After looking in the bags, Robinson was able to identify only one – a gold pearl master women’s Rolex watch. She could not recall the second watch.

Cockburn’s attorney raised an issue about the witness being presented with several individual bags to look through and pick the two items.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with not being presented with certain documents and reports from the prosecution.

“This is a trial by ambush,” Mr Ferguson told the court.

"We have a constitutional obligation to prepare a defence, and this matter has been outstanding for three years. Items are still outstanding – we have yet to receive a report of fingerprinting and the blood collected,” he said.

“It is an absolute right of the defendant to have a fair trial,” he insisted. “This cannot be fair.”

During cross-examination, Mr Ferguson asked Ms Robinson if she had taken a physical inventory of the items on July 23 at work. She said the staff took a physical count.

The attorney then asked if she had prepared the count sheet. Ms Robinson said she did not count the items, but had signed the sheet with her signature at the bottom and dated it July 23, 2018.

Mr Fergson asked, “You were in the back office so you did not know what transpired in the front?”

“No, I could not say what transpired,” Ms Robinson replied.

Mr Ferguson then asked Ms Robinson if she had attended a police ID parade. She said no.

“Do you know the value of the items missing?"

Ms Robinson said the variance report would have the value of the items.

When asked if she had given a report to police, Ms Robinson said she had given a statement to police the day of the robbery on July 23, 2018.

The trial continues today.