| Accused Tourist Bus Robbers Plead Not Guilty |
| By Teshell Samuel |
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Junior “Que” Sobratie |
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The five men charged with the November 14, 2010 robbery of a tour bus and its 17 passengers have pled not guilty to all seven of the charges brought against them. Elroy “Stanny” Williams, Junior “Que” Sobratie, and Curtis Long are all being tried on four counts of robbery, one count of conspiracy and one count of assault with intent to rob, while the remaining two, Delvin Francis and George Welsh will both be tried as accessories to the crime.
On the day in question, Williams, Sobratie and Long were said to have held up a tour bus filled with 17 tourists who were passengers of the Celebrity Mercury cruise ship, which had docked in St. Kitts that day.
According to police the men blocked passage along the route to the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the intended destination of the tour. Broken branches and old tree trunks had been placed across the road causing the bus to stop; the driver disembarked the vehicle at that time and attempted to investigate.
Soon after the driver, Urban Herbert, left the vehicle a rock was thrown at the windshield and two masked men armed with guns entered the bus demanding money.
During the ordeal four of the visitors aboard the bus were robbed while one other was assaulted. A married couple was taken for both their watches, a Canon camera, US$150 cash and the female was asked to give up her wedding bands.
A manhunt for the culprits involved in the robbery ensued in the days following the incident. Property searches were carried out in the Sandy point area as well as in the mountainous areas around the park. A total of eight men were taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in the crime.
Following the hold up, stories on the incident went viral, leading to two cruise ships to scratch St. Kitts from their immediate itinerary. The 2,124-berth Carnival Miracle was diverted to Antigua on the Wednesday following the incident and the 2,600-passenger Grand Princess also cancelled its call to the port during that week. While the incident had affected passengers tied to the Celebrity Cruises brand, the company did not cancel visits to St. Kitts but at the time said they were “monitoring the situation closely”.
Junior Sobratie has secured representation through Attorney Hesketh Benjamin while Counselor Angela Inniss will defend Williams. The three other defendants are yet to employ legal representation for their trial; they were all advised by the court to secure counsel.
All five of the defendants were arraigned and their pleas recorded during the opening session of the January Criminal Assizes on Tuesday (Jan. 17). No date has been set for their trial so the group will remain remanded at Her Majesty’s Prison until the time of their hearing. |
