Two men who pleaded guilty to committing an armed robbery in West Bay last year have each been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
The attack on Vidette’s Grocery and the JN Money counter inside, on 8 Feb. 2024 by Randon Odell Davis and Lincoln Donovan Sibron lasted just a minute and a half, but on 10 Jan. Justice Cheryll Richards handed down sentences totalling 204 months for the two men.
Davis and Sibron, watching via video link from Northward Prison, listened intently as Richards sentenced them to 87 months for each of two counts of robbery, and a further 30 months for use of an imitation firearm. The sentences will be served concurrently, less time already spent in prison, meaning a total custodial sentence of 87 months, or seven years three months.
The court heard how Davis, 26, and Sibron, 22, had timed their arrival at Vidette’s Grocery on Reverend Blackman Drive on the evening of 8 Feb. to just after the shop had finished serving customers but before takings had been collected.
Imitation firearm used
CCTV footage showed the pair arriving at the store in a rented Honda Fit at around 7:30pm. Davis went to the back of the store to demand money from the employee at the JN Money transfer counter, while Sibron pulled what looked like a firearm from his belt and demanded takings from the store’s cashier.
In total, the pair stole CI$23,436 and US$1,215 from the JN Money counter, and CI$1,500 and two packs of cigarettes from the grocery store.
After Davis and Sibron left the store, the alarm was raised, with police quickly attending the scene. Within the hour, two households nearby contacted police to report suspicious behaviour in the area and the pair were soon apprehended.
Sibron was found hiding in a shed, while Davis was caught in some bushes and chased by police over a chain link fence before being caught and handcuffed. More than CI$14,000 was found stuffed into his underwear.
The next day the rental car hired by the men to drive to the robbery was discovered, containing some cash, cigarettes and a torn deposit slip from JN Money.
Changed plea
The men initially pleaded not guilty to the offences and trial dates were set, but four months later they changed their minds and entered guilty pleas to two counts of robbery and one count of possessing an imitation firearm to commit the robbery.
The court heard that Davis, a Jamaican national who has lived in Cayman since 2013 and has a young child, had one previous conviction for wounding. Sibron, also from Jamaica, arrived in the Cayman Islands in 2021. Both men struggled financially, both had a long history of ganja use, and both were at a high risk of reoffending.
Handing down the sentences, Richards said that there were several aggravating factors in the offences, including planning the robberies and the attempt at concealing identities, while mitigating factors included showing remorse, their financial hardship and challenging upbringing, and family situations. She also reduced the sentences by a quarter due to the guilty pleas.
No compensation orders were made due to the financial situations of the two men but the money recovered from Davis on the night will be returned to the store.
Public thanked
Addressing Davis and Sibron directly, Richards said, “Financial need can never justify stealing from other people, much less stealing at gunpoint.”
She then asked them, “Do you understand how wrong you were to do what you did?” to which both men replied “Yes, ma’am.”
Richards also paid tribute to the “sterling assistance provided by several citizens of West Bay” who “courageously provided information to the police” which led to the speedy arrest of the robbers.
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