A TOCO man was sentenced on Thursday to a total of 16 years' imprisonment with hard labour for robbing two women in the Western Division policing district in November 2020.

Senior magistrate Brian Dabideen sentenced Jaleel Ashton, of 64 Lucan Drive, Toco, in the Port of Spain 4B magistrates court after he was found guilty of all four charges of robbery with aggravation, robbery with violence and two of kidnapping.

The sentences imposed will run concurrently, so Ashton will serve four years in prison.

In the first incident, which took place on November 17, 2020, Ashton robbed a woman who got into his car at Chaguaramas at 6.30 pm, asking to be taken to Port of Spain. On reaching George Cabral Street, St James, Ashton put his hand in a side bag and grasped an object he told his victim was a gun.

He grabbed a brown bag the victim had, which held a carton of cigarettes, and her handbag, which contained $3,079 in cash. After taking her to several off-route areas, he eventually dropped the woman off at Shine and Duke Streets in Port of Spain, instructing her not to look back.

The victim went to the St James police station to report the incident. When Ashton was arrested, he told PC Rael Ramkripaul, who charged him, he did not have a car on the day in question.

In the other incident, Ashton robbed a woman who got into his car on the Western Main Road at Massy Stores, Westmoorings, on November 24, 2020, just before 10 pm, thinking it was a taxi.

On reaching Massy Stores in Glencoe, a back-seat passenger wrapped his hands around the woman’s neck, grabbing her gold chain and her iPhone cellphone. The items were worth $9,500.

Ashton and his accomplice took the woman to Macqueripe, where they released her. She reported the incident to the Carenage police.

Ashton was arrested by Western Division task force officers, He told acting Cpl Damany Bentic, “Dem fellas trying to set me up,” when told of the report.

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