London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2025

Guns at large! Fireman, accused robbery accomplices denied bail

Guns at large! Fireman, accused robbery accomplices denied bail

Two locals and a US Virgin Islands national accused of robbery on Virgin Gorda were denied bail after it was revealed that the two guns allegedly involved in the incident were yet to be recovered.

Local firefighter Rakeem Lennard of North Sound, and 21-year-old Lekhoy Hughes of no fixed place of abode were jointly charged alongside 25-year-old Tray Audain who was born in St Croix but raised on Virgin Gorda.

The trio appeared before Magistrate Christilyn Benjamin on Tuesday, charged with two counts of robbery at the Valley on Virgin Gorda on October 15.

They are accused of robbing Ruby Esther Saballa Manzueta of one hand bag, one Louis Vuitton purse, a cheque in the amount of $336, one pair of $200 air-buds, $500 cash, and one Dominican Republic identification card.

They are also accused of robbing Marian Santos-Hernandez of one handbag, $3,841 cash, two bank cards, one white iPhone 11 plus, one driver’s license, and a number of documents.

Allegations


Crown Counsel Kael London alleges that on the date in question, a Virgin Gorda resident contacted the local police station and reported that two-armed mask men had just robbed two females of their belongings while sitting at the front of the store.

Members from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force immediately responded at the scene of the incident where they were informed that the robbers had fled in a white rental vehicle shortly after committing the crime.

The witness also informed the officers that prior to the incident, the two females were watching a movie on their mobile device when they observed two persons dressed in all black with shirts covering their entire face, wearing gloves with guns in their hands. The two persons approached the complainants from the back and forcefully snatched both their hand bags and fled the scene.

Vehicle apprehended shortly after and one male escaped


London also said that during the investigations, police had received information that the gunmen were fleeing towards North Sound in the vehicle described.

The police immediately headed toward the direction of North Sound in pursuit of the suspects where they spotted lights on an empty road side heading towards the North Sound area.

The prosecutor further said police eventually reached the area of the North Sound basketball court where they observed a number of parked vehicles, including a white Kia rental jeep which matched the description of the suspected vehicle.

The officers noticed that the engine of the vehicle was still running and upon approaching the vehicle one of the occupants exited from the passenger side, ran, and escaped through a bushy area. Police then observed that three other occupants were in the vehicle.

Search found stolen bags inside vehicle


Crown Counsel London noted that Audain’s name was behind the rental of the vehicle and he was sitting in the driver seat when the vehicle was intercepted. The other two accused were both in the rear passenger seats of the vehicle.

The three accused were cautioned and a search was conducted on the vehicle where two female handbags were found on the front passenger floor of the vehicle. When the accused men were asked about the bags, all three denied ownership.

The victims arrived at the location shortly after and were able to identify the bags as the ones stolen.

CCTV footage captured the incident


London further told the court that CCTV footage was retrieved from a local mini mart where two masked men were seen walking towards the front of the store and snatching the bags from the two ladies and fleeing the scene.

One admits, one denies, other silent


The police also conducted interviews of the three accused. According to the Crown, Hughes admitted to the allegations that were made against him, stating that he was among the two masked men that robbed the ladies of their bags.

Audain, however, denied the allegations and indicated that he was not involved in any robbery. Meanwhile, 28-year-old Lennard gave a no comment in the interview, only answering a few questions.

Police remain on the hunt for the fourth person who remains at large and according to London, they are continuing investigations into the incident as none of the firearms have been discovered.

Attorneys argue for bail


Both Hughes and Lennard were represented by attorney Ruthilia Maximea while Audain was represented by Stacy Abel.

In presenting a case for bail for Lennard, Maximea argued that the defendant is a father of two and the present breadwinner of his immediate family, as he is currently employed as a firefighter. She said he has no previous run-ins with the law and, to her judgement, is not a flight risk.

In Hughes’ argument, she said he was working as a junior plumber prior to COVID-19. She argued that to remand him would cause more harm than good, as a rehabilitation programme would better serve her client who has had to battle on his own, since his mom and sister passed away.

Attorney Abel in her argument for Audain’s bail, stated that while her client was presently on bail for an unrelated matter, she believes that he should be treated as innocent until proven guilty, as no hard evidence was directly pinned to her client.

Magistrate Benjamin however ruled that she found the allegations to be compelling and believed that if the accused were set free, they could interfere in the ongoing investigations.

She said two of the accused had no fixed place of abode, which raised further concerns.

The magistrate said she believed no reasonable bail conditions existed in this matter and therefore denied bail for all three.

They were therefore remanded until January 27, 2021 where a paper committal will take place to have the matter transferred to the High Court.

No plea was needed as the matter is triable at the High Court

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
×