PHILIPSBURG:--- The Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) Sint Maarten demanded prison sentences in the cluster research "Ijzerparel" (Ironpearl) before the Court of First Instance in Sint Maarten on 20 December 2017.
The cluster-investigation Ijzerparel consists of the sub-investigations Ijzererst, Tektiek, Titaniet, Thuliet, Pearl, and Boardwalk. Ijzerparel concerns a home robbery committed at Pelican on 7 December 2016 and the Tektiek investigation concerns a two-woman attack on Kim Sha Beach on 2 January 2017. The Titaniet, Thuliet, and Pearl investigations concern armed robberies at the Yang Yang supermarket respectively (23 January 2017), Way Yung supermarket (24 January 2017) and Fai Wong restaurant (27 January 2017). The Boardwalk investigation concerns a street robbery committed on 4 March 2017. The cluster research Iron Pearl relates to 12 suspects, of whom yesterday 5 were the main suspect. It involves a total of 6 robberies that were committed in a variable composition of 5 suspects during a period of 4 months. It concerns the suspects D.R.W. (21), A.H. (18), J.St.V. (19), B.B. (20) and the minor A.A.G. (17).
The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested the judge to try suspect A.H. as an adult. During the act, he was still a minor. The Public Prosecutor believes however that "these offenses were not carried out by a youthful impulse, but this was done with mature planning and execution. That's why the adult criminal law fits in this case."
The suspects D.R.W., A.H. and J.St.V. were arrested in the act on 27 January 2017 (Pearl-investigation). The police made use of a firearm to have them arrested. The accused A.H. and J.St.V. were wounded during the arrest. After this, an investigation was conducted by the National Police (Landsrecherche) under the direction of the Public Prosecutor's Office. This investigation Tapanahoni has recently been submitted by the National Police to the OM and will be assessed by the Public Prosecutor.
In the investigation Ijzerparel, the OM has requested the judge for the suspects D.R.W. and A.H. to sentence them to 12 years in prison, the suspect B.B. sentenced to 10 years in prison and to the suspect J.St.V. 3 years imprisonment. With regard to the suspect, A.A.G. the Public Prosecutor's Office demanded to sentence him to youth detention of 18 months of which 6 months conditionally, with as special conditions an obligation to cooperate in a psychological investigation and supervision by the Guardianship Council.
In the investigation in Ijzererst (house robbery in Pelican) the OM has requested the judge to refer the defendants D.R.W., A.H., B.B. and A.A.G. to pay an amount of USD 24,623.55 to the victim as tangible and intangible damages. The Public Prosecutor's Office also asked the court to order each of these four suspects to repay the criminal advantage of USD 2,334.10 to the Land Sint Maarten. The criminal advantage relates to goods and amounts of money that have been captured during the home robbery. Crime can not and will not pay.
Sentencing will be on January 10, 2018 at 8.30 hours.
Press Release from the Public Prosecutor's Office