PHILIPSBURG--A twenty-year-old suspect attacked a witness and punched him in the face in the courtroom Wednesday during the hearing of a case of mugging, burglaries, firearm possession and threats involving three suspects.

 

Suspect R.E.D. is standing trial on alleged involvement in the robbery of a tourist in Simpson Bay on January 27 and in two home burglaries. An eyewitness to the robbery was questioned on Wednesday. The witness, who worked as a security guard on the scene of the crime, provided the Court with an extensive statement of what he had seen and pointed to D. as one of the perpetrators.

 

While a police detective was being questioned about this witness’ statement, D. suddenly jumped up from his seat, ran towards the witness and managed to punch him in the face once or twice before police officers who were present in the courtroom worked him down to the floor with the assistance of the detective-witness and escorted him out.

 

The witness was not seriously hurt and seemingly unaffected by the incident, but could be seen rubbing his painful chin.

 

In the meantime, it already had been decided to postpone the hearing of D.’s case, but after he was informed that the hearing had been rescheduled for August 12, D. offered his apologies to Judge Maria Paulides and to the witness, who already had left the courtroom by then.

 

The case against co-suspect J.M.H. (23), who is charged not only with robbery, but also with possession of a firearm and with threatening police officers in Dutch Quarter, also was postponed until August 12.

 

D. and H. will go on trial then, together with another suspect in the robbery who was arrested six days ago, the Prosecutor announced. In the meantime, D and H. both remain in pre-trial detention.

 

Michael M. Lovera (29) was the only one to learn his fate on Wednesday. He was sentenced to one month suspended, with two years’ probation, for selling a stolen laptop computer to a pawn shop. The Judge said she found Prosecutor Maarten Noordzij’s demand of two weeks too low.

 

The laptop was stolen from the tourist’s car on January 27 by a group of men posing as “Good Samaritans” who had offered their help in changing a dead car battery. However, they demanded money and took the tourist’s bag, which also contained the laptop.

 

Lovera denied involvement with the robbery and said he had purchased the electronic device from a crack addict for US $100. He said it was “stupid” he had sold the laptop at the pawn shop and had provided a copy of his passport in making the sale.

 

The Daily Herald