(CMR) Okia Raniel Porter (23), a Jamaican employed as a janitor in Cayman since 2019, was sentenced on Thursday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to the robbery of the 4-Way convenience store.
Reports are that shortly after 8:30 p.m., on 19 November 2023, Porter entered the store wearing a mask. He went behind the checkout counter where the cashier was attending to a woman, who was also believed to be a part of the robbery.
Porter demanded money from the worker, and a brief struggle ensued. He then grabbed the cash register and ran to the entrance door. He used the register to damage the door and left the location carrying the register.
His mask fell off during the incident and was left at the location. DNA later collected fro the mask proved without a doubt it was worn by Porter. The incident was also caught on CCTV. No one was injured, and the suspect did not appear to be carrying a weapon.
Porter was charged for the robbery of $1029, which included over $400 in cash, the value of the cash register, and a tablet that was attached to the register, which he also stole. He was also charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
During a sentencing hearing, the court heard that Porter, the father of a three-year-old, has drug and alcohol problems and was intoxicated at the time of the robbery. The defense argued that no weapon was used during the robbery, and little planning was involved.
In handing down the sentence, Justice Cheryll Richards took several factors into consideration, including the victim impact statement. The court heard that the cashier was traumatized by the robbery and resigned shortly after the incident. It was also revealed that at the time of the robbery, it was the seventh time the store had been robbed. Justice Richards also noted that the entire cash register.
Due to aggravating factors, the sentence, which started at 36 months, was increased to 39 months. Mitigating factors, which included the defendant's remorse and the low risk of reoffending, were also considered, and the sentence was reduced by 12 months to 27 months.
With full credit given for his early plea, the sentence was further reduced by nine months to 18 months, with time already served to be taken into account.
“You have been brave enough to admit that you have done something wrong, and you accept that you were under the influence of drugs and alcohol…in the court's view, it's a serious offense,” Justice Richards said, urging Porter to get help for his addictions and turn his life around.