By Latrishka Thomas
An elderly man has been sentenced to spend six months in jail for aggravated robbery.
Hilroy Boatswain, who was 69 at the time of the incident, was seen by eyewitnesses hitting a man over the head and taking what appeared to be money from his pockets.
And on Monday, Boatswain, who has been convicted of larceny several times in the past, pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced by Justice Ann-Marie Smith to spend half a year behind bars.
The offence occurred in June 2018 when the complainant – after receiving $700 in wages and a $2,100 ‘box’ – went to a bar and drank for several hours.
After leaving the bar, the man, who worked as a mason for a government project, then went to visit a friend in Grays Farm before going to purchase food at an establishment near Paradise Casino on lower Market Street.
Sometime after 1am the following morning, the complainant, a Columbian native who had been living in Antigua for 10 years, was seen lying on Valley Road and appeared to be inebriated.
Boatswain, armed with a piece of wood, went to the complainant and pulled him in the direction of a road by the craft market.
According to witnesses, the defendant was then seen in the vicinity of Ovals basketball court with the complainant, along with two others.
The defendant was observed in a confrontation with the complainant which turned into a fight.
Boatswain struck the man on the head with the wood, and he fell to the ground.
The defendant was then seen going into the complainants’ pocket and removing paper-like material before walking away hurriedly and disappearing out of the sight of witnesses.
The complainant was bleeding profusely, so an ambulance was called and he was treated.
The defendant was taken into custody a day later and was found with $320 and US$20 which he said he got from gambling.
Boatswain claimed he was at work at the time of the incident but surveillance footage in the area where he said he worked showed him wandering up and down the road and leaving Paradise Casino.
He admitted it was him in the footage and, when asked about dragging the man across the road, Boatswain said he was helping him to cross the road.
The footage, however, revealed a different picture. Boatswain was therefore arrested and charged.